Little House
by BarbyChan4ever
Summary: *PREVIOUS TITLE: PINK DESTINY* Pamela's world was full of grief, even before the Venjix virus attacked. As she struggles to keep her head up and stay alive, she meets a stranger that doesn't even remember his own name. Eventual Dillon/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a Power Rangers RPM story, focused on my OC's life before and after Venjix's attack, and her eventual romance with Dillon. I love Dillon/Summer together, and their relationship will not be ignored in this story, but the endgame is meant to be Dillon/Pamela (my OC).**

 **Pamela is openly bisexual, so no homophobic/biphobic comments,** **please.**

 **These are other Pamela ships I _might_ explore: Ziggy/Pamela, Summer/Pamela and Gemma/Pamela. Like I said, Dillon is her endgame, but I like to think of other possibilities...**

 **This is my first fanfiction ever, and I was very hesitant to post it because: 1) English is not my first language, so if there are any grammar mistakes, feel free to let me know. I apologize in advance. 2) Keeping everyone in character is rather difficult, but I'll try my best not to make anyone OOC.**

 **It might take some time for Dillon to show up, and even more for the Ranger stuff to start, but I hope you'll still bear with me and give this story a chance. Please let me know what you think.**

 **Go to P** **interest and search _B_** _ **arbyChan4ever**_ **for** **inspirations and aesthetics of the story.**

 **Since this story parallels Power Rangers RPM, some scenes and dialogue will be taken directly from the episodes, so I take the time now to credit RPM with that.**

 **Trigger warning : My OC deals with grief and suicidal thoughts. This is meant to be a romance story, but it will also deal with a lot of drama and angst. I might change the rating to 'M' as we move forward for possible sexual situations.**

 **The title is based on the song by The Fray. It was previously called "Pink Destiny."**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

She could never decide what to wear for parties. Or any sort of social event for that matter. Pamela Seaver wasn't exactly obsessed with fashion, but she felt the need to look good, in order to make her aunt Robin happy. _Why is this so hard? It's not like I own too many things._

Her aunt Robin had made it her life mission to bake the perfect cake and invite Pamela's closest friends to her house for her birthday. It was just a small get-together, since Pamela only had three friends, but it was still a party. She was positive she'd enjoy it, and was grateful to have any kind of support, but there was still something missing... her parents. They'd passed away 8 years ago, and the pain was still unbearable.

Right after their deaths, she went to live with her aunt. Robin was warm and caring, and Pamela felt very lucky to have her, even now that she was all grown up. But she still felt as if she was a burden. She should have left once high school was over, to a dorm room in college, to study... something. Instead, she was still living in the house, waiting tables at the local diner, barely making a cent. She felt like the worst.

She didn't feel like she belonged in college, or anywhere for that matter. She didn't have any goals other than finding reasons to stay alive. She thought of herself as selfish. She had people that cared for her, yet somehow couldn't manage to be happy. Pamela was a great actress, and was sure that her aunt was clueless about her depressing thoughts. Her friends, on the other hand, weren't so easy to fool.

They were an interesting group. She'd known Jenny since they were little girls. While doodling in kindergarten, Jenny had accidentally broken her red crayon and started crying, so in order to make her stop, Pamela let her have hers. The sweet blonde had been her best friend since. She was petite and quiet.

Harriet was another story. They'd met during their sophomore year in high school, when she'd transferred to her school. They became friends after the teacher paired them up together for an assignment. She was breathtakingly beautiful. But it was her fierce attitude that resulted in Pamela catching feelings for her. Of course, she'd never dared to say anything to her about it. Jenny was the only one aware of Pamela's feelings for Harriet. She knew that her friend would never tease her about it, or say a word to anyone about the matter. But those feelings were long gone now. She had come to terms that Harriet was just meant to be a friend, and one worth keeping.

Alex was her most recent friend. She'd started working at the diner about a year ago, and they'd bonded over their mutual dislike for ungenerous tippers. She was loud, and had no tact.

Her friends knew about her pain. But every time they tried to get her to open up, she'd change the subject. She didn't want to talk about it. She wanted to pretend everything was fine, even though it wasn't. Pamela felt like an awful friend for not being able to talk about her problems with them. It wasn't like she didn't trust them. She just couldn't say the words out loud.

 _Talking about it wouldn't solve anything._

After an hour of searching for the right outfit, and making a mess out of her bedroom, she'd decided to go for a simple pair of jeans, a grey sweater and a pair of sneakers. She just didn't feel like wearing a dress. Besides, it wasn't like she needed to impress her friends, and she didn't think her aunt would actually protest.

Too much thinking was messing with her head. She didn't actually feel like celebrating, or smiling... or living. But she couldn't just go downstairs and tell her aunt that she wanted to cancel the party. It'd be selfish and wrong. With great effort, she put on her brave face, and decided to face the occasion.

"Oh, there you are. I was beginning to think you'd crawled under your bed." Her aunt said, once she saw her coming into the kitchen. Robin was giving some final touches to Pamela's birthday cake. It was a chocolate cake, medium size, with vanilla sprinkles.

"And miss this? Not a chance." And she meant it. Robin's cooking was delicious, and her smile made her forget about her troubles for a few moments. "I hope you don't mind, but... I just couldn't bring myself to put on a dress." Pamela muttered.

"Oh, Pammy, that's okay. You look adorable." Robin said in a soothing tone.

Suddenly, the bell rang.

"The girls are here! I'll open the door." She offered. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Hopefully, that'd never change.

Pamela smiled and nodded. This was going to be a long, mushy evening.

Once the greetings were over, they'd all sat down on the table.

"So, how you'd been, Pam? Are you seeing anyone right now?" Alex blurted out.

Pamela snorted. "Alex, you just saw me yesterday. We work together, remember? And you know that I'm happily single."

"Um, yeah, but I don't believe you. Deep down, you're hoping to find some tall, handsome gentleman that'll sweep you off your feet."

"Or lady." Harriet added with a short laugh.

Pamela stared at her friends in disbelief. She was grateful that Robin had gone back to the kitchen to admire her cake, or else she'd be adding more fuel to the fire.

She didn't need a companion. Being with someone would mean being honest and truthful, and if she couldn't do that with the people she already knew and loved, then which was the point.

That's why she'd only settle for casual one night stands, with any pretty person that'd seem nice enough and who wouldn't be asking for anything more.

 _Who needs a relationship, when the other person would probably just end up leaving, anyway?_

Her bisexuality wasn't exactly a secret to anyone. That was one fact about herself that she'd decided to share. Her friends were a bit much sometimes, but they weren't close minded.

Harriet still couldn't know about the whole crush thing though. She'd probably laugh it off, but Pamela was still a bit embarrassed by it.

"Slow down, please. Look, you all know I just don't feel like being in a relationship. Who knows, maybe one day I'll find somebody, but today is not that day and I just..." She stopped herself from saying anything else once she'd realized that Robin'd already served the cake, which had 19 candles on it.

"Time to make a wish!" Her voice was full of enthusiasm.

In a way, Pamela was jealous of her aunt. She was like a human rainbow, always finding the joy in everything. Oh, how'd she wished she could be like that, instead of thinking of possible ways to die, and listing reasons to live.

Her aunt and her friends were at the top of the list. Food was in second place. Well, not all food. She'd just settle for ice cream, pizza, and cake. And perhaps a bag of nachos. The third place belonged to Spirited Away. A movie were the main character can be transported to a different world and return full of bravery was surprisingly comforting and worth rewatching.

Pamela stared at all the women around her. She didn't doubt their love for her. But there was a warmth that was still missing. One that she hadn't felt since her parents. Perhaps one day she'd feel it again. That was her wish. Finally, she blew very hard and all the candles on her cake went out. And it turned out of be as delicious as she'd expected.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

After eating, they'd all sat down on the couch to watch TV. The news was discouraging as usual. The Venjix virus sounded like something that came out of 'The Matrix'. Except she didn't think that Keanu Reeves would show up and save the day.

She'd wondered what would become of the world now that its computer systems were infected. Would they all be turned into machines to serve as Venjix's slaves?

Suddenly her problems didn't seem so troublesome in comparison. After all, she wasn't the only person out there suffering. Just because she felt miserable most of the time, it didn't mean that she wanted everyone else to be.

She let her mind wander. Maybe turning into a machine wouldn't be so bad. There wouldn't be any sad memories, any worries, any kind of pain left. It would be like being dead, wouldn't it? She'd often wished she was.

But then she'd look at her aunt and hate herself for ever thinking about leaving her. Or her friends. Jenny would never stop crying. Alex would get so pissed off that she'd probably dig up her grave and try to bring her back just to yell at her. Harriet would… she didn't know exactly how Harriet would react. Maybe she'd try to see the bright side, as usual, and be grateful that they had the chance of being friends. Her and Robin were the equivalent of SpongeBob. Sometimes, all their optimism made her want to gag.

 _I wish I could see life the way they see it._

The rest of the party turned out to be pleasant. None of her friends stayed over since they all had obligations to go back to the next day. Harriet had a dance class to teach, and Jenny had to finish an assignment and study for an important test. Pamela and Alex were both in need of a good night's sleep, in order to be ready for another busy day at Annie's.

The little diner was always full, and Annie, their boss, didn't tolerate lateness. When Pamela'd started working there, she couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the woman. She was about the same age as her aunt, but didn't possess Robin's kind spirit. Pamela figured that Annie at least tolerated her, after all she hadn't fired her yet. The job had its good days, but the pay could use some improvements. She'd only get generous tips if she smiled brightly enough, which wasn't exactly an easy task for her.

She felt sick of feeling sorry for herself most of the time, of having so many disturbing thoughts. Maybe she was just a Drama Queen who just needed to get laid. Except she had.

She'd used sex as a coping mechanism on several occasions. Was it healthy? Maybe not. But she didn't think less of herself because of it. She was just a normal girl with inner troubles looking for a distraction. That didn't make her a –she hated the word- slut. And it wasn't like her sexual partners were looking for a relationship, most of them had been as lost and disconnected as she was.

She supposed she was good looking. Maybe not drop dead gorgeous like those models in shampoo commercials, but beauty wasn't everything anyway.

She had fair skin and grey blue eyes. Her long brown hair, when it wasn't loose, was usually done in either a ponytail or pigtails. She wasn't a big fan of make up, but she occasionally wore chapstick and did like to paint her nails black.

Her body was fine. Sports had never been her forte, but she'd taken self-defense classes last year that'd helped her get in better shape. Either way, it had never been difficult for her to find somebody to spend the night with.

She'd heard once that sex was only fulfilling when it was with somebody you were in love with. Pamela didn't know what to think of that. She didn't think she could actually let herself fall in love with somebody, and she didn't think anyone would be crazy enough to fall for an angsty contradiction like her. She considered herself to be a good person, but she wasn't exactly an angel.

Covered by blankets, she did her best to put her mind in blank. It was far from easy. The Venjix virus filled her thoughts again.

What if the end of the world was truly near? Pamela'd take whatever came at her, but she didn't think she could handle something happening to aunt Robin and her friends. Her life wasn't a complete disaster because they were in it.

 _I just hope I don't scare them away any time soon..._

Perhaps her parents being gone was actually a good thing for once. They'd died immediately after the car accident and neither of them felt any pain. If they were here now, and could see what was happening, they'd suffer. And that wouldn't be fair. But they were dead, and that wasn't fair either. Life wasn't fair. Not with anyone.

She'd never been a social butterfly, as Jenny had been her only friend up until she met Harriet. She was just picky when it came to friendships, even before her parents' death, she'd only associate herself with people she felt comfortable enough with.

Maybe that was weird, and made her seem stuck-up, but she just didn't see the point in hanging around too many people. Her friends had other friends, she knew that. Sometimes her insecure side would tell her that the only reason they all stick around is because they feel sorry for her. But in a way, everyone felt sorry for her.

She didn't want it. She didn't want anybody's pity. Actually, she didn't know what she wanted. Her daily activities included waking up, going to work, spending time with aunt Robin and her friends, drawing, reading, and making pop culture references whenever she could. _Oh, and drinking and screwing. Can't forget that._

Would her parents be proud? Probably not. They'd both always spoken about college, so they would hate to see that she'd decided not to go. Pamela just wasn't an academic person, and she could never force herself to do things she didn't want to do.

Nobody knew what the future would bring. If there was something else out there, some greater purpose waiting for her, she didn't know. Maybe she could put on a costume and go fight crime, like she was a superhero or something. Those thoughts actually made her laugh. She did like her comic book heroes, but they weren't real. It was impossible to believe there could actually be dressed up individuals that fought bad guys and saved the day.

A few moments later, she was finally asleep, dreaming about wearing tights and fighting evil robots.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It had been a weird day at work. To Pamela's astonishment, Annie sent her home after noon, instead of just keeping her around until midnight. She claimed that she deserved to have some time off. Pamela never thought she'd see the day where her boss would treat her with anything other than indifference. _She's never liked the way I flirted with the customers._ She texted the news to Robin, and without questioning Annie further, she took her things and left the place.

Her house was only a few blocks away, so she'd always just walk. If anyone tried to do anything, she was sure she could defend herself. _I could crush anyone with these heels._

Pamela didn't exactly know why she had even bothered to take those self-defense classes in the first place. It's not like anything ever happened in Kemingdale.

It was probably the world's most boring city, where you either stayed there forever or packed all of your things and moved somewhere far, far away. There were a few entertaining places, but nothing that stood out. She would sometimes run into some of her old classmates, but other than a polite hello, there wasn't much she could say to them.

Sometimes she felt guilty for alienating herself so much in high school, but that was just the way she was. Getting attached to people was dangerous, because then they'd get the power to hurt you. Or worse, they'd go away and disappear. And she didn't need more of that in her life.

She'd been called names before. There were times when some of Jenny's or Harriet's friends would look at her funny, or even laugh quietly and whisper things like 'weirdo' or 'stuck-up emo'. But Pamela couldn't let those words get to her. Why would she pay attention to people who didn't even know her, anyway? What truly bothered her was that she never once head her friends defend her. Now that pissed her off. But she didn't express those concerns to them.

She always kept everything inside of her, and maybe that would cause her to explode one day. She'd feel bad for the poor soul that'll witness her outburst.

Walking down the streets while thinking too much made her feel like she was in one of those weirdly filmed music videos. That she could just burst into a song, and strangers would surround her and sing with her. But what would she even sing about? Missing her parents, having attachment issues, her fluffy aunt, the way her friends tried to make her admit that something was wrong? Pamela just couldn't pick one theme.

At last, she made it home. She was about to open the door when she heard the explosion. It was a loud, disturbing noise. Something she had only heard in action movies. It confused her for a moment, but once she realized she wasn't imagining it, she opened the door and rushed inside.

 _Is this Venjix?_

"Aunt Robin! Where are you?" She yelled, hoping to get an immediate answer.

Pamela started checking everywhere; first the living room, then the bathroom. She basically jumped the stairs to see if Robin was in either bedroom, but there was no sign of her. The noises just kept getting louder and louder, and she started to fear she wouldn't be able to find her aunt.

When she got to the kitchen, she found a note on the fridge:

 _"Went to get you a late birthday present. Be back in a few._

 _Love you Pammy!_

 _xoxo Aunt Robin"_

 _Damn it, aunt._ Today of all days. She didn't need nor want another birthday present. The cake and the party had been more than fine. Why did Robin always have to be so caring?

Explosions kept coming; she could hear them very well. Was this the Venjix virus? Had her weird theories been right? Was this the end of the world? She needed to keep it together. The house was shaking. She found a bag near the kitchen table and proceeded to grab all the food she could find. Anything that she considered valuable and fit in the bag, she also took.

Robin didn't own a car, so she had left the house on foot. Pamela tried to call her, but her phone was dead. Beyond upset, she crushed it against the wall. She knew that if she didn't get out of there, she'd eventually get severely injured or killed. But could she really leave without her aunt? Her only family?

She suddenly felt the need to hug her bag. It wasn't just filled with food. Her sketchbook was also in there, along with her pencils, and pictures of her family and friends. Maybe it was stupid, but those things were important to her.

Pamela got out of the house and started running. Everything around her was trembling. She could hear nothing but explosions, and people screaming and crying.

Soon, she started to listen to her own desperate cries.

 _Am I going to die?_

"Aunt Robin! Where are you? Please, please. I need you." She felt as if she were chocking on her own tears. She couldn't remember a time where she had cried this much. Running and yelling at the same time made her feel dizzy. Her eyes and face were probably red. She started to worry that she was traveling in a circle, but she kept going.

Finally, she tripped over something, and stayed down. Pamela rolled onto her side, so that she could breathe and continued hugging her bag.

She couldn't bring herself to stand up. The strikes kept coming. She knew she could wind up dead in a second. Did she care, though? Robin was probably dead for all she knew. Her friends too. The tears had stopped. Her throat was sore, and her whole body felt numb.

Was this the end for her? She'd fantasized about dying so many times, but never in such a tragic way. She'd figured the best way to go was asleep. Just getting into bed wearing a comfy nightgown, closing her eyes and never opening them again. That fantasy had been morbid enough, but this? This was just cruel. Lying on the floor, listening to others scream in fear, thinking the people she cared about were dead… nobody deserved such a terrible fate.

She started picturing her parents' faces. Then Robin's. Jenny's. Harriet's. Alex's.

 _I don't want to die alone..._

Time made no sense anymore. It was like hours were passing, but also seconds. It was all fuzzy before she heard it.

Somebody was calling her name.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Pammy! Are you okay?" Robin's voice echoed her ears. Pamela wanted to cry again. Her aunt was alive. _Thank you, thank you!_

"Yes, I'm fine. I thought you were gone." She sobbed. Robin helped her get up and put her arms around her.

"Well, I'm here now. And I have a means of transport. Let's go." Pamela frowned in confusion as they walked. What transport? She then saw the van that was parked a few metres away from them.

Once they'd reached the van, she jumped into the seat, slamming the door shut behind her.

"Put on your seat belt." Robin commanded, and Pamela obeyed quickly.

"Where were you? I didn't want another birthday present. Do you know why this is happening? Is it the Venjix virus?" Pamela knew that asking too many questions at once was probably not a good idea, and she didn't expect her aunt to have all the answers. But she had too many things going on in her mind, and she felt overwhelmed. It was just a few minutes ago when she thought it was all over, when she was almost sure that she was going to die alone.

"I'm sorry, Pammy. I just wanted to get you something. I heard the explosion just when I was about to choose the perfect present for you. From what I've heard on the radio, it is the Venjix virus. We need to get to Corinth city, where we'll be safe." Robin explained.

"Corinth? But that's... that's not anywhere near here, is it? Do you even know how to get there?"

"I don't... but I'm sure we'll find the way." Robin tried to reassure her.

"Look, Robin, I know you like to see the positive side in everything, but the truth is: we don't know how to get to Corinth, we don't know if this van has enough gasoline that'll last until we get there, and..."

"I know! I know that. I just have to believe that we will make it." Robin snapped. Pamela had never seen her like that before. Robin glanced down at her. "You got food in there?"

Pamela had forgotten about her bag. She was about to open it, when her aunt grabbed her arm to stop her.

"No, let's not waste it now. We'll need it for later."

Pamela nodded. Robin kept racing forward.

"I didn't know you could drive." Pamela commented.

"Just because I couldn't afford to buy a vehicle, doesn't mean I never learned how to use one." Robin shrugged her shoulders with a laugh.

Almost a decade of living with her, and there were still things about her aunt that she didn't know. She suddenly felt guilty. It took the apocalypse for her to find out that her aunt could drive. What else had she missed? She didn't have it in her to ask, not even now. All it mattered at the moment was to get to safety.

Corinth city. She'd heard the name, maybe once or twice, but that was it. She'd never been outside Kemingdale before, and she'd never bothered to know much about cities she'd probably never go to.

But what was so special about Corinth, that it would keep everyone safe from Venjix? Why that one city? Why couldn't Kemingdale be the world's safe haven?

She wanted to be like Robin, to have hope that they would get there. But they were in the middle of a war zone. The road was far from clear, and it was then when she saw them clearly, for the first time, through the van's mirror. Robots.

They looked beyond creepy, and ready to fight any humans in sight.

"Auntie, we have to hurry. There are robots right behind us!" Pamela shouted. She knew that the best way to deal with the situation was to stay calm, but that was rather difficult. "This whole thing feels like a freaking sci-fi movie."

"Yes, I see them. I'll try to go faster."

The damn robots were shooting at them. In that moment, Robin lost the opportunity to evade an abandoned car. Pamela barely had time to scream when the van crashed.

Pamela had become disorientated. At times her eyelids fluttered and she thought it had all been a bad dream.

Except it wasn't.

It was all very, very real. Pamela took off her seat belt to help Robin, who was in much more pain that she was.

She grabbed her softly by the arms. "Robin, wake up. Please, wake up." She cried.

Nothing. No response. What was she supposed to do? Robin wasn't moving, and her face was covered in blood.

She cursed. Once, twice, three times. She yelled. She had never been religious, but felt like she should start praying. Then she cursed again.

 _This isn't happening. This isn't happening._

Why Robin? Why her aunt? Causing someone like her pain was an atrocious crime.

Pamela started cursing again. She cursed the bombing, the robots that surrounded them, the Venjix virus.

"I didn't raise you to speak like that." A voice suddenly said.

Pamela's heart trembled.

"Aunt, you're okay!" She had cried so much that she was starting to believe her face was going to fall off.

Robin took Pamela's face in her hands and looked at her in the eyes.

"Listen... I'm not going to make it." Robin said softly.

Pamela shook her head. "Don't say that! You..."

"Please let me speak. Listen, I know that I was never able to replace your parents. That was never my intention. When I've heard that my brother and his wife were gone, leaving me with a little girl... my heart just broke for you. I could see how much you missed them, how much you still do... I know letting people in was never something that came out easily for you, even before they died. But please, promise me. Promise me that you'll make it out of here. Promise me that you'll survive and you'll let people in, whoever they might be. You have to believe there are still good guys out there. I just don't want you to be alone." Robin's words were filled with emotion. Even on her deathbed, she still managed to be the most selfless person in the world. Her dying wish was for Pamela to be happy. And how could she refuse her pleading, after everything?

 _Not again, not again, please..._

"I promise. I love you." Pamela whispered in Robin's ear. Her aunt's hands weren't on her anymore.

And that was it.

Robin was dead. Gone. And her last words had been... Pamela didn't know what to do about them. How was she supposed to survive all by herself? She had no clue.

Minutes passed. Probably hours. Time was meaningless. She didn't want to leave her aunt. Her only family, who was now dead.

Death. She was sick of it. Everyone she loved kept dying. Her parents, her aunt. Her friends? They were probably dead too.

Pamela's stomach growled. She was hungry. She opened her bag, and devoured two sandwiches and three chocolate bars. There was only one bottle of water, so she only took a sip.

She gave Robin one long, last look. This wasn't what she deserved. She deserved to live a long, happy life. Get married, and maybe even have kids of her own. Definitely not end up dead in some random van, in the middle of nowhere.

Holding onto her bag -which only contained reminders of her previous life, a bottle of water, and two boxes of cookies-, she got out of the van. The thing had crashed, and it was completely useless now.

There were still a few robots on sight. She didn't have it in her to fight at the moment. She just wanted to get out of there.

Pamela closed her eyes for a second, took a deep breath, and started running.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Pamela didn't know how many hours she'd been asleep.

Her clothes were dirty and her whole body was covered in sweat. With no more food and water left, it was hard to tell how much longer she'd last.

It had been four days since she'd ended up in an abandoned building. Four days since her city'd been attacked. Four days since she'd watched her aunt die.

She couldn't think of anything but the promise she'd made to her. About making it to Corinth, and not giving up. But how could she manage to keep her word, with little energy left and no way to get to safety?

Keeping her eyes open was difficult. She couldn't help but bark a nervous laugh when she looked at her pink waitress uniform. Why on earth did the apocalypse decide to come while she was wearing a skirt and high heels?

"At least I still have my sense of humour." She said out loud. Not that it mattered, there was nobody around to hear her speak.

There was little else to do in the loneliness of the place but think. She ran all of her painful memories, over and over again, hoping that they'd lose their meaning.

And she spent too much time reliving her last moment with Robin.

It was obvious that the guilt would never leave her. So the least she could do, was try to stand up. She would never get to Corinth if she stayed hidden like a coward.

Holding onto her bag, she stood up and walked through the door.

It was broad daylight, and there were a few robots wandering around the road.

"Oh, this is just great!" She screamed.

The thought of going back inside the building and staying in there was tempting. But dishonoring Robin's memory was not an option.

 _Fuck this shit!_

Pamela ran towards the robots, and began to fight them. She used her right leg to knock one to the ground, and punched another right in the face. Or what it was supposed to be his face. Grabbing another by the arm, she used all of her strength to throw him against the others.

Without giving them one last glance, she started running. _It's a miracle I haven't tripped yet!_

She'd figured it was the adrenaline of the situation that allowed her to put up a fight.

Her breathing was labored, and the air was torturing her eyes. All she wanted was to find someone that could help her. Making it on her own seemed impossible at this point. With no idea where Corinth actually was, and an empty stomach, the odds weren't in her favor.

While thinking of possible ways of survival, something made Pamela stop running and turn around.

 _Oh my_ _God, I'm saved!_

A car was coming straight at her.

* * *

 **Very short chapter, I know... but guess who is showing up in the next one?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The car stopped. The door opened, and a young man got out of it. He walked slowly towards her.

This was Pamela's chance. She had to take it.

"Hey... look, I'm really sorry for getting in your way, but I need to get to Corinth city. Could you please, please take me there? I made a promise to someone that I'd get to safety, and I can't do that without a way to get there. You're the first person I've seen in days. I don't have any food, or anything to give you right now, but if you help me, I'll help you with anything that you need. That I can promise. Please?" She pleaded.

She knew her tone had been too desperate, but who could blame her? It was the end of the world, and this guy was her only hope.

Her heart was hammering hard in her chest. Exhaustion, hunger, and now nervousness consumed her.

The guy looked unsure of what to say. It was like he was having a mental debate with himself. 'Should I let this weird girl go with me, or should I just ignore her, turn around, get in my car and drive away?' She could bet that's exactly what he was thinking. She suddenly felt embarrassed when she realized she'd been staring at him. _Well, it's not my fault he's so good looking._ He had 'bad boy' written all over him. But what mattered at the moment was whether he'd agree to take her with him.

Finally, he spoke.

"All right. Get in." There was no emotion in his voice. Pamela nodded and followed him towards the car. She sat on the front seat next to him, hugging her bag.

"My name's Pamela. Pamela Seaver. Or you could just call me Pam, if you'd like." She gave him a small smile.

Her rescuer didn't seem annoyed by her, as she expected he would. Instead, he looked... numb. "I don't know mine."

"Huh?"

"I don't know my name."

"Oh..." Confusion hit her. Did he have amnesia? How long had he been without his memories? What was he doing all by himself? She kept all those questions to herself. It was none of her business.

He didn't really say anything after that. Pamela dropped her bag on the floor. After a few minutes of silence, he turned to her and asked "What's with the uniform? And why are you in heels?"

"Oh, that." She looked down at her clothes. "I was walking home from work when all of this started. I'm a waitress. Or at least, I was." Pamela explained.

He nodded.

Curiosity was starting to get the best of her. It was probably rude, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Do you have amnesia?"

Without taking his eyes off the road, he answered.

"All I remember is that I made a promise to help someone. I just don't remember who or why."

 _A promise?_

Pamela wasn't sure how to respond. Here she was, wanting to forget everything about her life, when this guy was probably desperate to remember everything about his. Life worked in unfair ways. She knew that now more than ever.

"I'm sorry. I'd switch places with you if I could."

The guy turned around his head to give her a look.

"What do you mean?"

"I wish I could forget about everything. Or maybe not everything, but there are several memories I wish I could erase from my mind."

He looked sympathetic. "Sounds like you've been through difficult things."

"Something like that. I bet you've been through things as well."

"How can you tell?"

"Well, if you're wandering in the middle of nowhere all by yourself, and you have no idea who you are, or where you are from, my guess is that some fucked up shit happened to you."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Sorry. I tend to swear when I'm stressed." _And drink, and screw..._

The mystery driver shook his head.

"Nothing wrong with that."

Suddenly, her stomach growled.

"I suppose you don't have any food, do you?"

Mystery driver reached for what it looked like a bunch of yellow lollipops.

"I know it's not much, but you can have some of these."

He put the lollipops in her lap. Pamela couldn't complain. It was certainly better than nothing.

"Thanks." She unwrapped one of them and stuck it in her mouth, nearly sobbing because of the sweet taste. Her stomach kept growling, but at least now she had a chance to survive. But they needed to find food soon.

 _I would kill for a pizza right now._

The music that echoed from the radio was the opposite of soothing, and she didn't know if she wanted to continue pursuing a conversation with the mystery driver. Pamela didn't know exactly what to call him.

She stared at him once again. He did have the 'bad boy' look she'd noticed earlier. His hair was brown, and so were his eyes. He had luscious lips, and was wearing a black leather jacket. But for someone with no memories, he seemed nice enough. _He looks like the type of guy I'd do in the backseat of his car._

Worried that he might notice her eyes on him, she decided to focus on the road. There weren't any robots on sight.

"I probably should have asked this before getting in the car, but do you know how to get to Corinth?"

"I have no idea. But we'll get there."

Robin had said the same thing. She hadn't sounded as positive as her new acquaintance, but her optimism made up for everything. Damn, she missed her.

Mystery driver was now staring at her, as if expecting a reply.

"I admire your confidence." There was sarcasm in her voice. She needed to get Robin out of her head, or else she was going to start crying in front of this stranger.

Her companion flashed her a smile.

"What should I call you? Because 'mystery driver' is too long. So is 'Rebel Without a Cause'."

He wrinkled his eyebrows and pursed his lips, struggling to conceal a laugh.

"What's that?" He asked.

"Oh, it's a movie about a troubled guy. Not that I think you're troubled, but you do have the aesthetic of a rebel." She explained.

The guy looked more amused than anything.

"Dillon." He replied. "You can call me Dillon."

* * *

 **At last they meet. Now, the romance is going to take time. Right now Pamela might have noticed his good looks, but it's not going to happen right away. She's grieving her aunt, and is afraid of commitment. Not to mention that it's the end of the world and they just met. So be patient. As for now, they're going to be spending some time alone together, before they run into another familiar face.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Okay, but… why Dillon? I mean, if you really think about it, you can pretty much choose any name you want. So why Dillon?"

It had only been a few hours since she had gotten into the car. Dillon was driving like a maniac, but Pamela didn't object. Corinth still seemed far away, and she needed something to distract her from thinking about Robin. She truly did not want to start crying in front of Dillon.

Dillon. That was the name he had chosen for himself. How random. _I don't think I've ever met a Dillon._

"I don't know."

Did this guy know anything? It was sort of frustrating, how he didn't have an actual answer for anything. But she couldn't blame him for having amnesia, and being confused.

She was actually jealous. Of his lack of memories, and his composed manner. Pamela was sure she'd fall apart at any moment. She'd never felt so vulnerable before. Her body was screaming for food, her waitress uniform was a mess, her heels were killing her, and her eyes were watery. Her ponytail was the one thing that prevented her hair from looking completely disheveled.

"I'd figured you'd say that."

Dillon looked down at feet for a second.

"What's in the bag?"

Oh, that. Great. That bag was full of reminders of Robin and her parents. She didn't need to explain him any of it.

"Nothing that can actually help us. Just some personal things of mine." That was all she could reveal.

Fortunately, he didn't push the subject.

Pamela cleared her throat. "So... about the car and the bad boy outfit. Do you remember how you got them, or is that another thing you don't know?"

"The latter."

"Sorry for asking." She shrugged. "I guess I'm just trying to keep a conversation to distract myself."

He looked at her warily. "You want to share the story about how you ended up all by yourself in the middle of nothing? I'd share mine, but..."

"You don't know."

They both chuckled. _He has a nice laugh..._

"My story is... well, it's short, but it's also long. I don't think... I don't think I'm ready to talk about it. I don't think I'll ever be. These past few days have been nothing but a nightmare. All I can think of right now is that I have to make it to Corinth. Because if I don't, many things would have been for nothing. Which is kind of ironic, considering that I've fantasized about dying so many times before all of this."

She'd never said those words out loud before. What was it about Dillon that made her spill one of her darkest thoughts to him? _What's wrong with me?_

"I've said too much, I'm..."

"Don't apologize." He interrupted her. "You don't need to explain me anything."

No, she didn't. She was glad he understood that.

Pamela was now nervous, and trying her best to hide her tears. "So, Dillon... I mean, Dillon, really? Why not Dan? Or Matt? Or how about... Max? Now that would be more fitting."

"Why?"

"Because of the movie... never mind."

Their eyes met for a split second.

"You're a movie fan, uh?"

"You could say that."

Movies had been an escape, just like books and drawing. Her sketchbook and pencils remained intact on her bag, and she couldn't wait to draw something again.

At least now she had one thing to look forward to.

She decided to go back to the original topic. "Dillon is a decent name though. How about age? How old do you think you are? Wait, wait, don't say 'I don't know'... my guess is that you're at least 22."

Dillon couldn't hide the slight upturning of his lips. Wow. He was truly good looking. "Why the sudden interest in my age?"

"Like I said, I'm just trying to make conversation to distract myself."

"How old are you?"

"Me? I'm 19. In fact, my birthday... it was just five days ago." She had completely forgotten about that. It was hard to believe, that it had only been less than a week since her lips had been covered in cake, and her house had been filled with the laughter of her aunt and friends.

His voice interrupted her vivid memories once again.

"I'd say happy late birthday, but..."

"Yeah. Nothing happy about the apocalypse. Thanks, anyway."

Staring at her lap, she finished the lollipop she had been licking, and picked up another one.

"Are you thristy?" He asked, holding a bottle of water in his hand.

Pamela's jaw dropped.

"Wait, you have water? Dude, why didn't you say that earlier?" She glared at him in disbelief.

"I was going to bring it up, but you kept distracting me." Dillon said with a shrug.

 _Yeah, same here._ Rolling her eyes, she picked up the bottle and drank.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I'm not sure if water and lollipops are going to give me enough strength to fight if we run into a bunch of robots."

"You mean grinders?"

Her eyes widened. "Grinders? Those things have names?"

"Guess so."

Escaping and fighting grinders wasn't something she ever wanted to do again.

"I fucking hate those things."

"That makes two of us."

They both went silent. There wasn't anything else she could come up with to get Dillon to talk, and he now seemed to be fully concentrated on his driving.

Pamela'd finished all the yellow lollipops, and focused her eyes on the road. It was becoming dark, and she felt tired. She'd figured Dillon was probably exhausted as well, but was too proud to admit it.

A woman's voice could be now heard from the radio, but Pamela couldn't make out what she was saying. She wanted to close her eyes, but she also didn't want to dream.

 _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry..._

Nightmares of Robin had haunted her every time she fell asleep. Life was truly harder without her. She missed her soft hugs and her radiant smiles.

Damn her brain. Why couldn't she concentrate on anything else?

She just wanted the painful images to leave her alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Pamela slowly opened her eyes. She gave Dillon a quick glance. _He doesn't look tired at all..._

"How did you manage not to fall... never mind." There was no point in asking him.

Fortunately, she hadn't dreamed of Robin last night. But as usual, that didn't stop her from thinking about her now that she was awake.

Dillon deserved props for driving so fast. Too bad the radio frequencies were still messy, and he didn't know the actual way. They'd need a miracle to get to Corinth.

It was only a few seconds later when she noticed that a human shadow could be seen through the fog.

"Woah, who the hell is that?"

Dillon stopped the car, and they both got out of it to approach the stranger.

It was a guy. He was wearing some sort of suit, and his hair was spiky. He was also carrying a bag, and looked as if he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Oh, thank you, thank you. I was beginning to think I was gonna die alone out here." He sounded relieved. It reminded Pamela of how she had felt yesterday, when Dillon found her.

"Who are you?" She asked him.

"Ziggy Grover, hi." The guy said. Ziggy, uh? That was certainly a name she hadn't heard before. "Listen, I know we just met, but I'd really appreciate it if you two could give me a ride. See, I'm from Corinth city..."

 _Now, this is interesting..._

"Wait, Corinth?" Pamela felt hopeful. "You know how to get there?"

"Yes, of course I do." Ziggy grinned in response.

Pamela turned to Dillon, who was as still as a statue. "We gotta take him with us."

"No way." He muttered.

"Oh, come on, Dillon. He knows how to get to Corinth. Once we get there, you can drop us off, get supplies and go your own way. You made me a promise, didn't you?"

Giving her an annoyed look, he gave in. "Fine. But no talking."

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much. You guys are awesome." Ziggy exclaimed dreamily.

The three of them got into the car, with Pamela next to Dillon and Ziggy on the backseat.

While giving Dillon instructions, their latest companion started asking questions.

"So, what are your names? Where are you guys from?"

"I'm Pamela, or Pam. I'm from Kemingdale."

Dillon remained quiet and concentrated on the road.

"His name's Dillon." Pamela answered for him. "I don't know where he's from."

Ziggy looked confused. "What do you mean? Aren't you guys a couple?"

She snorted. What in the world could have given him that impression?

"No, no, no. I just met him yesterday." She said between giggles. "He promised he'd take me to Corinth, that's it."

Dillon's face remained serious, with a hint of annoyance.

"I thought I said no talking."

Had he truly taken offense on Ziggy's assumption? What a jerk.

"I take it he's not very friendly." Ziggy whispered in Pamela's ear.

She turned her head to whisper back. "He's okay. Sort of."

Pamela noticed his bag once again, which was placed next to him.

"You got any food in that bag? Because I'm starving."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Here." He reached out to the bag and handed her a sandwich.

Was Ziggy the miracle she had hoped for? It was starting to look like it. "Thank you."

She picked up the sandwich, and quickly shoved it in her mouth.

The guy gave her an amused look. "You weren't kidding when you said you were starving." He turned to the driver. "What about you, Dillon? You want some?"

"I'm good."

Pamela frowned. "I swear this dude is like an android or something. He doesn't sleep, and apparently, he doesn't eat."

"I do eat." Dillon retorted. "I'm just not hungry right now."

"If you say so."

According to Ziggy, they were now getting closer and closer to Corinth. Pamela couldn't wait to get there. But she was also worried, because she didn't know where she was going to live. Or if she was going to be able to get a job. Or if she was going to find her friends there.

Ziggy continued asking questions.

"So, Dillon... you still haven't told me where you are from?"

"I don't know where I'm from."

"How come you don't know?"

"I don't remember."

Pamela sighed. Even though she had felt envious of Dillon yesterday, now all she could think of is how tiresome must be for him to have to explain his situation to everyone.

"He has amnesia." She told Ziggy.

There was a worried look in his eyes. "Oh, okay. Sorry."

The drive was mostly silent after that. Ziggy kept on guiding Dillon, without asking any more questions, and Pamela ate two more sandwiches, while thinking about her possible future.

While she was lost in her own world, Ziggy told Dillon to stop the car.

"There it is." Ziggy announced. "Corinth city."

The city could be seen in the distance. So this was the last safe place in the world? It sure didn't look like it.

"So, we probably want to pull off the road here and just wait till dark." Ziggy said.

"We can't stop." Dillon replied firmly.

Ziggy stared at him as if he were crazy. "What?"

"We're running on fumes. If I kill the engine now, I might not be able to start it again." He explained.

"You're joking, aren't you?"

Pamela shook her head. "I don't think he is."

"Wait, wait, wait, we need to think about this. No one has ever run the barricade into the city during daylight. It's impossible."

"Well, I'm as close to no one as you're ever going to meet." Dillon stated.

Ziggy was freaking out. "This is insane! We won't make it!"

Pamela turned to look at him."Look, I get what you're saying, but if Mad Max here thinks he can make something happen, then it'll happen."

"I need to get out of this car."

"I believe it's too late."

Just when things couldn't get any weirder, an army of grinders could be seen through the side mirror, following them on motorcycles.

"Fuck. Those things again. I thought we lost them forever."

Dillon tossed all the lollipops he had left in Pamela's lap.

"Now it's not the time for sweets, Willy Wonka." Ziggy yelled in desperation.

Pamela barked a laugh.

"What's so funny? This is dangerous!"

"I know, I just... Willy Wonka." She giggled. "That was a good one."

Ziggy sighed, and covered his eyes with both hands.

Dillon turned to Pamela. "Start handing them to me, now."

 _I can't believe this!_

She passed him the lollipops, and watched him stick them into what seemed to be detonators. He began throwing them one by one out of the window, and they ended up blowing up grinders.

There was a chance that they might not make it, but she didn't know how to feel about that. She pictured Robin's face.

"Oh, no. It's the Venjix barricade!" Ziggy shouted.

"We're going to die. Oh, we're so going to die." He kept on saying.

Pamela couldn't concentrate with his screams. "Dude, shut up! You're making me nervous!"

"I'm making you nervous? How..."

"You both shut up." Dillon spat.

 _He is being so rude! We could crash at any moment..._

There were still plenty of grinders behind them. Dillon threw one last explosive, which caused the Venjix barricade to detonate.

"That was crazy! I think I'm going to pass out."

Dillon ignored Ziggy's comments, and kept on driving, as the gates to Corinth opened. Pamela took pity on the guy, and patted him awkwardly on the head. He had definitely been terrified of dying.

They had finally made it to the city.

But it was all too good to be true. Another army of grinders, and some weird ugly looking robot appeared right in front of them.

Pamela was about to start cursing, when two guys and one girl came out of nowhere, looking like they were about to drop the greatest hip-hop album of the decade.

"Who are those guys?" She asked Ziggy. Maybe he'd have an answer.

"They're Power Rangers."

 _What the hell?_

"Power what?"

"What's a Power Ranger?" Dillon asked.

"I don't know what a Power Ranger is." Pamela stated.

Ziggy rolled his eyes. "This might sound rude, but you guys are seriously ignorant."

Looking back at the so-called "Power Rangers", Pamela realized that they were about to fight the robots. So they were vigilantes?

The three strangers braced themselves, and yelled at the top of their lungs,

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

 _Get in what?_

* * *

 **Finally, our beloved Rangers are here. I've obviously changed things a little since Ziggy doesn't try to rob Dillon in this story, but he's still the same Ziggy from the show. The timeline is also different, but it will all be explained. If you're reading this, please let me know what you think. I crave feedback.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The strangers had turned into something weird. They were now wearing colored suits; red, blue and yellow. The entire scenario seemed like something taken out of a comic book.

 _This shit is crazy!_

"So, these Power Rangers... are they superheroes or something?" Pamela asked.

"Oh, yes." Ziggy replied enthusiastically. "They've been defending the city the last few days."

"Last few days, uh? So they showed up right after Venjix's massive attack?"

"Exactly."

Pamela observed the Rangers as they fought the robots. She wondered which one was supposed to be the leader. Could it be the yellow one? Things would always get done quicker with a woman in charge.

In a way, she felt sorry for them. They were literally carrying the weight of the world. She could never handle such a responsibility.

Ziggy cheered when the Rangers defeated the ugly robot. The guy screamed close to her ear, but her gaze remained on the rainbow heroes. Dillon was also watching them, as if nothing else mattered.

An army of drones approached, and proceeded to attack the Rangers, as well as civilians. Pamela could hear Ziggy's screams, but remained unbothered. By the looks of it, so did Dillon.

The Rangers were now driving robots of their own, which had animal forms. They managed to take out several drones, but the grinders were preparing an attack with a laser under the yellow bear robot.

"Look, grinders." Ziggy said, pointing at them. "They're gonna ambush yellow."

"I hate grinders." Dillon sighed. He drove towards the control tower, taking them out and forcing the laser to explode in the air, destroying all the remaining drones.

The yellow ranger's voice could be heard from the distance, as she thanked Dillon.

The battle was now over. Ziggy sighed in relief, while Pamela closed her eyes, and wondered where she was going to sleep tonight. There weren't any more threats in sight, so they all got out of the car.

The Yellow Ranger approached them, and revealed her face. Now that she could see her properly, Pamela noticed that she was quite pretty, with blonde hair and a kind smile.

"Hey." Her eyes were on Dillon. "I don't know how to thank you."

"If you could help me get some gas, maybe some water... I'll be on my way."

Pamela watched their exchange, glancing from Dillon to the yellow ranger.

She was about to say something, when she felt somebody grab her.

"What are you doing?" She yelled.

A group of men, which seemed to be from the military, grabbed them by the arms, and one of the officers ran a scanner over them.

"Look, I'm not staying!" Dillon protested.

"It's cool, guys. I'm tight with my amigos here, Mr. Hero himself, and Pam." Ziggy explained.

The officer with the scanner pointed it at Dillon.

"He's an infiltrator."

 _What is that supposed to mean?_

"I don't even know this dude." Ziggy exclaimed.

The officer ignored him. "Sir, picking up internal Venjix hardware, sir. Generation 7 at least."

Pamela stared at Dillon with her eyes wide open. He was a robot? Dillon was a robot? How was that possible? _Is he like Terminator?_

The Yellow Ranger remained silent, with a shocked expression on her face.

Pamela noticed the other two Rangers arrive into the scene, but couldn't take a good look at them.

The three of them were forced to get into a vehicle. Pamela ended up in the middle, with Ziggy on her right and Dillon on her left.

 _I can't believe I'm going to prison._

"That went well." Ziggy pursed his lips. "I mean, it could have been worse. We could all have died."

Pamela turned to Dillon.

"What are you?"

Dillon looked at her right in the eyes. His stare was so intense, it made her feel bad for asking him that question.

"Never mind." She said, turning to Ziggy. "Any ideas of where we are being taken?"

"My guess is jail." He answered. "I hope you know how to protect yourself, it can get ugly over there..."

Pamela gave him a look. "And you know this, how...?"

"Oh, well, I haven't been there myself, but you hear things, you know?" He chuckled nervously.

She didn't know what to make of that. Ziggy was one weird dude. She had only known him for a day, but it was clear as crystal that he was something else. A little firecracker.

Dillon was the opposite. He'd only speak when necessary, and focused on his tasks.

Too bad all of the things they had to endure to get to Corinth had been for nothing. Jail was probably not what Robin was talking about when she had encouraged her to live her life.

Robin. That reminded her, what about her friends? Had they made it? She couldn't look for them if she was in jail.

"Fuck." She uttered. The whole thing frustrated her so much, that she couldn't stop the tears that began streaming down her face.

Great. Now everyone would see her cry. _Stop it, you dumbass._

"Hey, hey..." Ziggy patted her shoulder. "Don't cry. It's all gonna be okay. They're going to realize that we're nothing but innocent, and they'll let us go."

"How can you be so positive?" Pamela spat. She felt bad for snapping at him, but her emotions were getting the best of her.

"Well, somebody has to." He shrugged, giving her a small smile.

Wiping her tears, she drifted her eyes towards Dillon. He didn't say anything, he just stared at her. It wasn't the same type of stare as before, but it still made her feel uneasy.

The vehicle stopped, and they were asked to get out of it. Pamela was taken away in a different direction than the boys, as she catched one last glimpse of them.

She arrived at the prison, and was given an orange uniform. They had at least given her a chance to take a shower. She cried her eyes out under the water, not wanting anyone else to see her upset. The last thing she needed was the other inmates labeling her as weak. After putting on her new outfit, she was taken to her cell, and looked up to stare at the female officer in front of her.

 _Why am I scared? I've never done anything illegal! Except for all those times I snuck into bars and used fake IDs..._

"Hello." She said firmly. "I'm officer Vasquez. I have a few questions for you."

Pamela nodded. What questions could she possibly have for her? This was all a mistake.

Vasquez pulled a pen, and began to write.

"What's your name?"

"Pamela Ophelia Seaver."

"How old are you?"

"I'm 19."

"Where are you from?"

"Kemingdale city."

"What's your relationship with the other infiltrators?"

"There isn't one. I met one of them today, and the other one yesterday. I haven't done anything wrong. I don't understand why I'm here."

Vasquez stopped writing to look at her.

"We can't take any risks here. One of them has robotic technology throughout his body. He could be working for Venjix."

"But he's not. He found me in the middle of the wasteland, and agreed to help me get here. Why would he do that, if he was an evil minion?"

Vasquez went silent. She looked sympathetic, as if she didn't want to keep Pamela locked up, but couldn't do anything about it.

"I think you've told me everything you know."

"That's right. Can I please go now?"

"I'm sorry. Like I said, we can't take any risks."

She turned around, and left Pamela alone in the cell.

Which was the point of her surviving, if she was going to spend the rest of her life incarcerated?

With all the stress, she had completely forgotten that her bag; with her family photos, pencils and sketchbook, was still in Dillon's car. Except it wasn't his car anymore.

 _Dillon._

Vasquez had mentioned that he had robotic technology throughout his body, which meant he wasn't an actual robot. He was a human being, but someone had probably experimented on him, which explained his amnesia.

Pamela felt guilty. If she hadn't asked him to bring her to Corinth, he wouldn't have gotten arrested. The guy had made a promise to someone, someone he couldn't remember, but still. His chance to find that person was now ruined because of her.

All of this made her think of her friends; Jenny, Harriet and Alex. She would never know if they were alive while locked up. She should have asked for a lawyer at least.

She laid down on the bed, not knowing what else to do. Maybe things could have been better if she had died out there. If she had died instead of Robin.

Closing her eyes, blurry dreams took over.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The last two days had been boring. She always thought that prison would have been filled with people fighting all the time, but things had been quiet. It was probably due to the fact that there weren't many female inmates; she didn't even have a cellmate. Nevertheless, she suspected that things at the male prison were actually difficult. Pamela was sure that Dillon could protect himself against any threats, but Ziggy was another story. She hoped that they were both okay.

How did she end up caring so much, anyway? She was grateful for their help, sure, but they were still strangers. Dillon's face would pop up in her head sometimes. She still felt bad about dragging him into this mess, and was convinced he hated her for it.

None of it mattered though. She was probably never going to see him again.

"You're free to go."

Pamela jumped, clutching one hand to her chest. One of the officers was staring at her with an impatient look on her face.

"What?"

"You're free to go." The officer repeated in annoyance. "The Power Rangers came to bail you out."

"What?" Pamela was dumbstruck. Why would the Power Rangers help her?

The officer rolled her eyes. "You can change back into your own clothes, and leave."

Her cell opened, and she picked up her waitress outfit, which the officer had been holding. Pamela changed back in the bathroom, and was escorted by the officer towards the exit.

To her immense surprise, Dillon and Ziggy were both there, along with the yellow ranger, and two other guys that she assumed were the red and blue rangers. Dillon was talking to the guy in red, as if they were discussing some sort of secret plan.

 _I guess the boring times are over._

"What's going on here?" She asked.

The yellow ranger approached her first. "Hi, I'm Summer Landsdown."

Summer. That was a pretty name. "You're the Yellow Ranger?"

"That's right." She smiled proudly, offering Pamela her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Pamela said, taking her hand. "Are you the leader?"

Summer laughed. "Me? Oh, no, Scott is." She pointed at the guy who was still talking to Dillon.

Pamela nodded, and turned to the guy next to Summer.

"I'm Flynn McAllistair." He had a thick accent, and gave her a smile that lighted up his whole face.

"Hi, Flynn. I like your accent."

He chuckled, and they shook hands. "Oh, thank you. It's Scottish."

She nodded. "From the color of your shirt, I assume you're the Blue Ranger?"

"Aye."

Pamela turned to look at Ziggy, who looked as if he had just won the lottery.

"Hey, Pamela."

"Hello, Ziggy. How was prison?"

"Oh, you know, it was very boring, nothing really happened while Dillon and I were there, but I'm sure you have plenty of stories..." His tone of voice made her believe that something did happen, but she chose not to push the subject.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't, actually."

Dillon and the red ranger had stopped talking, and the leader of the team gave her a curious look.

"Hi, my name's Scott Truman." Did all the Rangers have to be so good looking? Scott seemed to be as charismatic as the other two, but Pamela found that there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. They shook hands, and she nodded.

"Oh, yeah, the red one and the leader. Pleasure."

"Dillon told me plenty of things about you..."

Now that sounded absurd. "He did? We barely know each other."

"...and convinced us to get you out of here." Scott finished.

Pamela finally dared to look at Dillon. All her suspicions about him being angry with her were now gone, but how did he and Ziggy manage to get released? She didn't ask, figuring they'd explain all of it later.

"Thank you." She smiled slightly at him.

He nodded. "You're welcome."

Pamela followed Scott and the others, walking side by side with them. Summer told her that they were heading to their base, where they kept all of their ranger technology, and orchestrated their plans against Venjix.

Once they were there, Pamela noticed that the place was filled with vehicles.

"Welcome to the garage." Scott said.

"So this is like your own personal Batcave?" Pamela asked, looking around.

Summer giggled. "Something like that."

Pamela then realized that Dillon's car was actually one of the vehicles.

"Oh, it's your car." She said, turning to him. "Where's my...?"

Flynn, who had disappeared the moment they got inside, came back holding her bag. "Here you go."

She held it lovingly in her arms. "Thank you so much. I was worried about this."

Flynn was now giving her an anxious look. "Listen, I had to open it to know what was in there, and..."

Pamela quirked her eyebrows. "And?"

"There's a lady in one of the pictures, and I know her."

She gulped. "What?"

Flynn looked at her bag, and Pamela handed it to him. She could not understand what was happening. The blue ranger opened her bag, and picked up one of the pictures.

"This lady." He said, pointing at Robin. It was a picture of her aunt holding Pamela as a baby.

"That's my aunt Robin. She died trying to help me get here..." Flynn shook his head. "What is it?"

"When I came here from Scotland, I went back on a bus to help some people outside the city. There was a woman... she was hurt, and bleeding pretty badly, but she was alive. I helped her get on the bus and get here." He pointed at the picture once again. "It's her. This lady."

 _No fucking way._ She could not believe what she was hearing. How was all of that possible?

Dillon, Summer and Scott exchanged looks. Ziggy squeezed her shoulder gently, and Pamela's eyes focused on Flynn.

"Do you know where she is right now?"

"Right here, honey."

Pamela turned around. It was Robin. She looked extremely pale, and her eyes were filled with tears. She had bruises all over her face, and her arm was patched up.

 _It's a freaking miracle!_

Pamela bit her tongue, trying to hold back the tears, but failing miserably. She ran towards Robin, and hugged her carefully. "I can't believe it! I thought... I thought..."

Robin caressed her back. "I know, I know. I thought I was dead too."

They stared at each other without saying anything more, and the silence was broken by Scott's voice.

"Come on, guys. Let's give them some space." The Red Ranger led all the others out of the scene. She was grateful for it. Her aunt kissed her forehead, and Pamela gulped.

"That whole speech you gave me was a bit dramatic, don't you think?"

Robin snorted. "In my defense, I thought it was the last one I'd ever give you. The rangers told me about you being arrested, so of course I had to get here now that you're free."

Pamela smiled. She was feeling too many things at once. She was tired, hungry, relieved... and scared. She still didn't know what had become of Jenny, Harriet and Alex. Were they still alive? What about their families?

"Do you know anything about my friends?"

"I'm sorry, Pammy. I don't know anything. But they could still be out there."

She wanted to believe that. If her aunt came back, why couldn't her friends? But then she remembered that her parents hadn't come back.

"Yeah. Maybe." She wiped her tears off her face. "Where are you living right now?"

"I'm living in a little house not too far from here."

"Great, I'll go with you."

"No, honey."

Pamela's brows furrowed together. "What do you mean no?"

"I think you should stay here with the Rangers."

"What? Why? I..." She blabbered, not understanding what Robin meant. "No way. And do what? Clean up their stuff?"

Robin smiled, touching Pamela's cheek. "You could help them with anything they need. You'd be contributing in saving the city."

"I don't even know these people."

"Didn't you promise me that you'd open up your heart?" Robin reminded her.

Pamela barked a laugh. "I thought you were dying. I'd have said anything."

Robin's hand left her cheek, and her expression turned serious. "Pamela, please. You can't hide forever. You have a chance to make new friends, and help them save people. There really aren't many of us left."

She shrugged. There was no way she was winning this argument. "Okay, fine. If it makes you happy, I'll stay."

"Good."

"Can I at least come visit you, then?"

"Of course. I left my address in your sketchbook."

They hugged one last time, and Pamela closed her eyes, trying to hold back any more tears. With a sigh, she went upstairs to find the rangers.

"Hey, guys? My aunt left. Guys?"

The room was empty, but something caught Pamela's eye. It was a big computer with a giant K on it.

"What the hell is that?"

"Hello, Pamela. I'm Doctor K."

Pamela screamed. _That thing can talk?!_

"Woah, you scared me! I thought you were gonna say 'I want to play a game'."

"I beg your pardon?"

She shook her head, turning away from the computer. "Never mind."

The Rangers entered the room, and Summer ran towards her. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Pamela looked at Flynn. "Hey, I don't have the words to express how grateful I am. Robin is my only family. I thought she was gone forever." She took his hand. "Thank you."

Flynn cleared his throat. "Oh... there's no need to thank me."

Letting go of his hand, she turned to Scott. "Can you tell me what's up with this Doctor K? The computer scared me, and that's why I screamed."

"Don't worry, it freaked me out the first time I saw it too." Ziggy said.

"Doctor K is the one behind all the ranger technology. He gave us our series operator morphers. He's the reason we are Power Rangers." Scott explained.

"Ziggy told me that you guys have been defending the city right after Venjix's air strikes started. How did you get together so fast?"

"Fortunately, the series operators volunteered as soon as I presented the idea to Colonel Truman. They all passed the tests with remarkable results." The creepy computer said. Scott had mentioned a he, but how could they be sure that Doctor K was actually a man?

"Colonel Truman?" Pamela asked.

"My father." Scott replied grimly. He looked upset, but said nothing further.

"I see." She looked around and noticed that the ranger suits were behind a glass. "Red, blue, yellow... black, green and pink?"

Summer nodded. "Dillon is now the new black ranger. We still need to find suitable operators for green and pink."

Pamela's eyes went wide. "Woah, hold on a second." She turned to Dillon. "You're a Power Ranger?"

Dillon smiled. "I am."

Pamela didn't know what to think of that. At least now he had a purpose. She felt envious of him once again. "Interesting." She muttered. "So, how do you guys plan on getting two more rangers?"

Ziggy, who had been pretty quiet the entire time, smiled like he was about to turn into confetti. "I'll actually be holding auditions tomorrow. You could help me out, if you want."

He wanted her to help him hold auditions to find Power Rangers? Pamela wanted to say no. She wanted to leave. She didn't want to get attached to these people. But Ziggy's face was full of joy, and she didn't want his smile to go away. Damn Robin and her speeches. "Yeah, sure. No problem."

Ziggy nodded, and Summer took her arm and led her away from the others.

"Come on, Pamela. I'll show you your new room."

The room was surprisingly big, or at least bigger than the one Pamela used to have back in Kemingdale. It had two beds, a closet, and a nightstand with a lamp on it.

"This looks cozy."

Summer edged closer to her. "Listen, I know we just met, but I want you to know that if you need to talk, I'm here for you. We've all been through so much in such a short time, and it'd be better to deal with it together."

Pamela rubbed a hand over neck. It was just like with Ziggy. She wanted to tell her no. She didn't want to talk, they weren't friends, and she didn't want to deal with anything. But she also didn't want to be mean and upset the blonde.

"That's very kind. Thank you."

"I'm happy that you chose to stay with us. I was scared of being the only girl around here."

Summer was too nice. Her attitude reminded her of Jenny. "Well, now you don't have to be."

The yellow ranger smiled. Her eyes were shining, and Pamela could have sworn she was trying to hold back tears. "Would you like to get something to eat?"

That question made Pamela grin. She was starving. The meals at the prison had been dreadful, and she was sure that the city's heroes had plenty of quality food to share. "I'd love to."

They left their room to eat alongside the other rangers. Ziggy couldn't stop talking about all the candidates that had signed up to be Power Rangers. Scott and Flynn spent the entire dinner discussing strategies and the powers of their suits, while Summer explained to Pamela how she had rescued Scott on her motorcycle during the battle of Corinth. Dillon had been quiet the entire time, focusing mostly on his food. Pamela found herself staring at him when he wasn't looking.

After dinner was over, she thanked Flynn once again, picked up her bag, and went back to her new room with Summer. It still sounded surreal. She was now living in a garage, with superheroes, Ziggy, and a talking computer that reminded her of Jigsaw. This couldn't be her new life. It was all too weird and confusing, and her emotions were all over the place. Once Summer was asleep, Pamela took her things and went downstairs.

Could she actually leave? She didn't know, but she hoped no one was awake to question her.

"Where are you going?"

She let out a scream, and noticed that Dillon was lying against his car, holding some sort of pocket watch.

 _He looks so hot standing there like that..._

"Damn it, Dillon! You scared me."

"Sorry." He did not look sorry at all "Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here. I can't stay."

"Why not?"

"Why are you interested? You got a thing for me?" She didn't know what caused her to say that, but maybe a little teasing would piss him off and make him leave.

A smile dangled on the corner of his lips. Not the result she was expecting. "Perhaps." Pamela raised her eyebrows. "Or perhaps I'm just curious." No longer smiling, he looked at her, waiting for an answer. He was starting to infuriate her a bit.

Pamela's forehead puckered. "I can't stay in this place. It's pointless for me to be here. The Rangers don't need my help, and I don't know any of you. I also have friends that I have to find, and I can't do it if I'm stuck in this garage."

Dillon's expression was blank. "Fine. Suit yourself." He started to walk away. "But for the record... it's not pointless."

Pamela gulped. Once Dillon was out of her sight, she tried to turn around to leave, but remained still. Had his words gotten to her? In all honestly, she wasn't even sure if she could at least get the door open. She didn't know if her friends were actually alive, she didn't own a vehicle, and she didn't know how to drive. What would she do if she ended up in the wasteland again? What would she eat? Where would she sleep? Staying with the Rangers sounded like her best chance. She didn't want to give up on her friends, but she also didn't want to make any rash decisions. They had bailed her out of prison and given her a place to stay. She remembered Ziggy asking her to help him with the auditions to find two more rangers. And the more rangers, the closer they'd get to defeat Venjix.

 _I hope I don't regret this._ She chose to stay.

* * *

 **I swear I rewrote this chapter a billion times. The good news is that the action finally starts next chapter where we'll meet a certain dark-haired villainess.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Summer was asleep when Pamela made it back to the room. She put her bag under the bed, took off her shoes and hid under the covers.

Robin was alive. She couldn't find a word to describe how relieved she was. But did it make her selfish to think having her aunt back wasn't enough? She wanted to see her friends again... and she needed to see her parents again. She knew the latter was impossible; no matter how many times she fantasized about it, they were never coming back. And it hurt. It hurt too much, and she let out a quiet sob.

"Hey, are you alright?" She heard Summer whisper. So she hadn't been in deep sleep after all.

Pamela turned around, and opened her eyes to look at her. She hoped her tears would be invisible in the dark. "No, not really… I can't talk about it."

"It's okay. You don't have to."

"Thanks."

Summer was so gentle. They were pretty much strangers, but here she was, being kind and understanding. Pamela didn't want to admit it, but she was now curious about her. How did she become a Ranger? Where did she learn to fight like she did? Dillon was no longer the only ranger that intrigued her.

"You told me you rescued Scott after you made it here, right? But how..." She gulped, batting her eyelashes. "...how did you get here?"

Summer remained silent for a moment, and then Pamela heard her sigh. _Maybe I shouldn't have asked._

"It was my birthday party, and my parents weren't at home with me. I was in my room when I first heard the air strikes, and I ran outside with all my friends. But they left me by myself, until my butler Andrews came to my rescue. We almost made it to Corinth, until a group of grinders attacked us, and Andrews sacrificed himself to save me."

 _Damn it. I really shouldn't have asked._

Summer didn't say anything for a while after that. Pamela couldn't understand what type of friends would abandon someone during the end of the world, and she imagined how painful it must have been for her to watch her butler die. And he probably wasn't going to come back like Robin did. She then realized that Summer's birthday had been a day right after her own. She couldn't bring herself to mention the coincidence though.

"When I made it, my parents were already here." Her voice startled Pamela. But she was glad that Summer's tale wasn't over. "I heard Scott asking for help over the radio, and I just knew I needed to help him. I wasn't a very good person before, you know? I used to only think of parties, clothes... and boys." Summer giggled. "But these past couple of days... I've been trying to be better. And when I heard of Dr. K and his ranger morphers, I knew I had to be a part of it. Being a Power Ranger and helping save the city is the only thing I want to do now."

Pamela felt oddly humbled that Summer trusted her with her story. It was hard for her to believe that the yellow ranger hadn't been a good person before, but nobody was ever truly perfect, right? She wanted to give her some words of reassurance, so the blonde wouldn't think she didn't appreciate her honesty.

"I'm not good with... talking about my feelings. I'm grateful that you told me your story, and maybe one day I'll tell you mine. I just can't talk now."

"It's okay. You don't owe me anything. I'm glad Dillon convinced Scott to let you come back with us. You're a good listener."

Pamela was even more inquisitive now. "What did Dillon say?"

"He said that you hadn't done anything wrong, and that all you wanted was a place to stay. He also said that you were too nice to be in prison."

Pamela didn't know what to think of that. She was now close to the point of sleep, and didn't want to think anymore. "Okay, thank you for telling me. Good night."

"Good night."

Her dreams had been blurry. All she could remember was a rainbow, and nothing more. She was grateful it hadn't been a nightmare. Pamela took a shower, removing all the dirt and filth from her adventures in the wasteland. She cried under the hot water, where she knew that nobody could see her or hear her. Her skin had a few bruises, but nothing severe. Summer had given her a purple shirt, a pair of jeans and new shoes. Pamela got dressed, and decided to wear her hair in two pigtails. Once she was ready, she left the bathroom and went to find Ziggy.

"Hey Ziggy."

Ziggy gasped. "Oh, hey... sorry, you scared me. I was checking out the names of the Green and Pink Ranger candidates one more time."

Pamela nodded. This was going to be interesting. Ziggy's eyes left his board to look at her.

"You look great. A lot of greater than before. Not that you didn't look great before, but what I mean is..."

 _He is so cute._ Pamela stopped his babbling with a chuckle. "I get it. Thank you."

"Yeah. No problem. Now, let's head to the place where our candidates are waiting."

They ended up in a large auditorium. Scott, Flynn and Summer were already there, sitting in a large table as if they were about to decide who was going to be the next American Idol.

"Where's Dillon?" She asked Ziggy.

"He is testing his suit with Dr. K."

"Oh." Pamela didn't even know why she had asked. She supposed it was because it was a ranger audition, and all the rangers were there except him.

Once the candidates began to show their skills in the auditorium, Pamela didn't know whether to laugh or run away. They spent an entire hour watching mimes, ventriloquists, acrobats, and some guy that was dressed up as Batman. None of them were Power Ranger material.

"Ziggy, enough!" Scott yelled. "We need two Power Rangers, not two clowns."

"You want clowns?" Ziggy asked. "I can get you clowns."

"NO!" Pamela shouted. She hated clowns. "There is no need for any clowns."

"Pamela's right, Ziggy." Summer said. "This has been very entertaining, but not what we need."

"I'll be heading home." Flynn added, standing up. Scott and Summer did the same.

"Wait!" Ziggy exclaimed. "Go back to your seats. This has all been building up to Pamela's perfect green and pink candidates."

Pamela turned to give him a death glare. What the hell was he doing? She didn't know anyone who wanted and could be a Power Ranger. Why was he throwing her under the bus? But Ziggy was giving her puppy dog eyes, and with a sigh, she decided to play along. "Yeah, sure, they're waiting right outside. Give us a moment."

The rangers nodded and went back to their seats. Pamela grabbed Ziggy by the arm, and left the place with him.

"Why did you do that? Are you nuts? I don't have any candidates!" She shrieked.

"I know, I'm sorry! But I couldn't let them leave. I need to prove that I can be useful!" He cried.

In that moment, she could sympathize with him. All he wanted was a purpose. She'd always spent too much time thinking about death, about how everyone would be better off without her. But deep down, all she wanted was the same thing that Ziggy was seeking for right now. Being useful to the world.

"Fine." She sighed. They walked together and glanced at the remaining candidates, but they all seemed to be exactly like the ones they've already seen; dressed in ridiculous costumes, and with no idea of what they were actually signing up for.

"What about me, Ziggy?" A sudden voice said.

"Fresno Bob!" Ziggy chuckled nervously.

 _Fresno what?_ Pamela turned to look at the man who had spoken; he was big and dressed up in a fancy suit, surrounded by several other men who were wearing the same. Who was this guy?

"Do you have what you owe me, Ziggy? 5 million dollars. What could you possibly want to do with so much money, uh?

5 million dollars? There was just no way that this guy was telling the truth. If Ziggy had that much money with him, why would he be wasting time helping to find new Power Rangers? It didn't make any sense.

"Now, I don't have a proper answer..." Ziggy replied. Fresno Bob's minions grabbed him and dragged him outside. Pamela followed them.

"Are you with him?" Fresno Bob asked.

"Yes, I am. And I think you should let him go, unless you want the Power Rangers to go after you." She wanted to sound intimidating, but it wasn't working.

"The Power Rangers?" Fresno Bob laughed. "Now I know you're a liar like he is. Gentlemen." He said to his men. "Grab her too."

Pamela was about to say something, when a dark-haired girl showed up out of nowhere and began fighting the men. She was tough and her fighting skills were relentless; they reminded Pamela of a superheroine. Could this girl...?

Fresno Bob and his men left the scene, threatening to come back for Ziggy again, and leaving a card on the floor. Ziggy took it before Pamela could make out what it said, and put it in his pocket.

The girl was now staring at them. She was stunning.

"Those guys are lucky that you showed up before I..." Ziggy gulped. "I was planning on giving them a piece of my mind."

"Yeah, they looked like they needed help." The girl replied. Pamela could hear the sarcasm in her voice. "I better go back to the line."

"Wait, the Power Ranger line?" Pamela asked her. "You don't have to wait. Come with us."

"Okay." The girl smiled. The three of them headed back to the auditorium where the rangers were waiting with impatient expressions.

"Hey guys." Pamela bit her lip. "What's your name?" She whispered to the girl.

"Tenaya Sevenson." The brunette whispered in her ear.

"This is Tenaya Sevenson." Pamela informed the rangers. "I know that Ziggy said that I had two candidates, but he got confused. There's only Tenaya, but I'm sure she can be enough help until we can find the last Ranger."

Scott sighed. "Alright. Let's see what you can do, Tenaya."

Pamela and Ziggy went to get some food while the rangers tested Tenaya's abilities. Once they got back, everyone looked pleased.

"She's perfect, guys." Summer confirmed.

"But the question is, is she going to be Green or Pink?" Flynn asked, turning to Dr. K's computer screen.

"She could use either morpher. I'll leave it to her to decide." Dr. K said.

"Oh well, I honestly don't know. Could you bring both while I take a moment to think about it?"

"I suppose that wouldn't be a problem. But please, make a decision."

Tenaya nodded.

"Alright." Scott said, glancing towards Pamela and Ziggy. "Great job, guys. Please go get the morphers." He then turned to Tenaya, and they shook hands. "Welcome to the Power Rangers, Tenaya."

Pamela and Ziggy exchanged smiles, and went back to the garage to get the morphers.

"The two of you must protect those morphers with your lives. They contain classified data, and could cause serious damage in the wrong hands." Dr. K explained. The creepy robotic voice still freaked Pamela out.

"Don't worry, doc. We'll take care of them." Ziggy said.

"Don't ever call me 'doc'."

"We'll protect the morphers, Dr." Pamela said firmly. "We promise. Right, Ziggy?"

"Right." He replied. He put the morphers in a bag, and they both ran outside.

"We are lucky Tenaya showed up. The last thing I wanted to do was anger the others."

"I hear you." Ziggy nodded. "I wouldn't want to go back to prison. At least not without Dillon. Not that I want Dillon to be in prison, but he's so..."

"Hardcore?" Pamela grinned.

"Yeah! You should have seen him fight! He was incredible!"

"I believe you."

Racing into the auditorium, they found Tenaya attacking Corporal Hicks. Her normal clothes were gone, and she was now dressed up in a bizarre outfit. So the superheroine was a super villainess after all...

"Oh my God!" Ziggy yelled. "She's an evil robotic imposter!"

"We need to protect the morphers!" Pamela reminded him.

"I'll be taking both of them, thank you." Tenaya laughed.

Ziggy grabbed Pamela's hand, and they ran towards the door. They found a two-seater scooter, and Pamela sat behind Ziggy, while he tried to get it running. Tenaya jumped in front of them, and Pamela let out a scream. Ziggy gasped in horror.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but what are you?" He asked.

"Tenaya, generation 7, Venjix Human Infiltration Attack Bot. I am your thoughts and minds. I am mankind's unconscious being. I am the final evolution of..."

 _What's up with the evil monologue?_

Finally, Ziggy started the scooter, and Pamela threw a helmet at Tenaya.

"What do we do now, Ziggy? We can't fight her by ourselves."

"Let me call Dr. K." They stopped in a courtyard of laundry. Ziggy picked up one of the morphers to make the call.

"Dr. K, I'm sorry to say this, but Tenaya turned out to be an evil Venjix attack bot..."

"Are the morphers secure?"

"We have them with us." Pamela responded.

"You two keep the attack bot busy. I'm on my way." That was Dillon's voice. Pamela closed her eyes. Ziggy opened the bag and handed her the pink morpher.

"You take care of this one, I'll take care of the other."

She nodded, and put it in her pocket. He started the scooter again, and they got away from the laundry, but were soon knocked out by Tenaya. She checked the bag and cursed when she found nothing, so she grabbed Ziggy by the collar.

"Give me the morphers! Both of them!" She demanded, and threw him across the field.

Pamela's head was spinning, and she tried to get up to help Ziggy, but her body was numb with fear. Tenaya was trying to get the green morpher out of his hands, but he wouldn't give it up. They struggled for a while, until something unbelievable happened. Ziggy had turned into the Green Ranger!

"Oh, no! I don't want to be a Power Ranger!" He cried.

"Ugh!" Tenaya roared, turning to Pamela. "You! You have the other morpher, don't you?"

Tenaya was heading towards her, and Pamela knew that she had to do something. Ziggy was grabbing his morphed head and yelling nonsense over and over. Dillon was still nowhere to be found, and she couldn't let her get her hands on the pink morpher. But how could she defend it? Her fighting was no match against Tenaya's. Unless...

Could she actually do it? Summer had told her that the bonding with the series morpher was permanent, and there was no way to reverse it. She thought of Robin, and her words of encouragement, of how much she hated Venjix, of how she'd never actually done anything important during her previous life...

"Fuck it." She muttered. Picking up the pink morpher, she got up and placed it on her wrist, imitating Ziggy's movements. A flash of pink light surrounded her, and she felt powerful and lively for the first time.

 _What the fuck did just happen?_

"Woah!" She heard Ziggy scream. "Now you too? The others are going to kill us!"

Tenaya kicked Pamela in the stomach, and she groaned in pain. Pamela grabbed her by the hair, and threw her against a wall. Ziggy ran towards her, and Tenaya got up.

Pamela and Ziggy were ready to fight her again, until she was knocked out by a blast. Dillon had arrived.

"Are you okay, guys?" He asked. The Green and Pink Rangers nodded in unison. Dillon didn't sound angry, but Pamela wished she could see his face.

"You haven't won." Tenaya said as she got up. "The gopher-bot is already within the city walls. This is far from over!" She ran away with a ferocious speed.

Pamela, Ziggy and Dillon ran towards the forest, and there were sounds coming out of the earth.

"Follow my lead." Dillon said.

"Deploy weapons!" The three of them yelled.

"Rocket Blaster!"

"Turbo Axe!"

"Glowing Staff!"

The weapon appeared magically in Pamela's hand. It was a pink staff about a meter in length, its head shaped like a globe. They used their weapons to pull out earth, luring the monster out of hiding, and attacking it all at once. Pamela felt like she could do anything, and she found the fighting both thrilling and terrifying. She knew she could get hurt, but also didn't want to stop.

"Let's combine our weapons!" Dillon ordered. The three of them put their weapons together, and they united as one, forming a new massive weapon.

"Turbo Plasma Launcher... fire!"

The monster was now on the ground, and Scott, Flynn and Summer arrived at the scene.

"Who the hell are you two?" Flynn asked Pamela and Ziggy.

"There's no time for that. Look!" Summer pointed at the monster. It was still functioning, and growing bigger with each second, King Kong style. This apocalypse kept getting weirder and weirder.

"Dr. K, we need our zords!" Scott exclaimed.

"Downmorphing zords." Dr. K announced.

The black, green and pink rangers watched as their fellow Rangers combined their zords and fought the monster. Ziggy cheered on them, and Dillon remained silent. Pamela was exhausted from all the action, and wanted nothing more than to take another shower. She watched as the others defeated the monster, and wondered how they'll react once they realized that she and Ziggy were their new teammates. They'd probably be angry, she was sure of it.

Once the attack bot was down, and the others were back on the ground, they headed back to the garage. The other Rangers were filled with questions, but Dillon assured them they'd all get answered.

Everyone had demorphed, with the exception of Pamela and Ziggy. Dillon looked amused, but the others were serious, and waiting for an explanation.

"Ranger Operator Series Black, would you be so kind to inform us who are the people wearing my green and pink suits?" Dr. K demanded.

"Gladly." Dillon said, nodding.

Pamela sighed and demorphed; and so did Ziggy.

"No way!" Summer blinked owlishly. Scott's brows knitted in a frown, and Flynn's jaw dropped.

Pamela raised her hands, her face flushed. "Before you say anything, please don't be angry with Ziggy. He morphed by accident trying to protect the green morpher from Tenaya. But I... I did it on purpose. He was in trouble, and Tenaya was coming to get the pink morpher, so I had to..." She inhaled a sharp breath. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Scott sounded outraged.

"I know neither of them may be the ideal choice..." Dillon started. "But they both kept their promise to protect the morphers from enemy hands. This is a done deal, so we better get used to it."

The others still looked displeased, and Pamela couldn't help but feel insulted. She knew she wasn't the perfect fighter, but she wasn't useless. Neither was Ziggy; they both had just helped Dillon deal with a monster after all.

"There is a severe amount of training that would be required to properly prepare unqualified individuals." Dr. K stated.

"Train away!" Ziggy clapped his hands with glee. "I can't wait to go back to the 'blowing up stuff' part!"

Scott sighed, touching his forehead. He left the room, with Flynn and Summer right behind him. Pamela looked at Dillon, and they both left Ziggy alone with his babbling.

"Hey." Dillon stopped walking and turned around.

"I just wanted to say thank you... for standing up for me and Ziggy." Pamela smiled.

He smiled back. "You're welcome, Pamela."

Pamela nodded and bit her lip, as realized that this was the first time she ever heard him say her name.

 _I think I might be in trouble._


	12. Chapter 12

Sorry for the wait, some things got in the way and I couldn't find time nor inspiration to write. Please review!

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

"Are you angry with me?" Pamela asked Summer during breakfast. When she had gone to bed last night, the Yellow Ranger had already been asleep, and Pamela wanted to make sure things were okay between them. Her first fight as a ranger was still floating in her mind, and now there was no turning back, so she needed to be on good terms with all of her teammates. Dillon and Ziggy were no trouble, but she didn't feel fully comfortable around Scott and Flynn yet. Pamela had seen the way they both looked at her when she unmorphed. There was anger, shock, and disappointment. Summer had had the same look, which made Pamela feel a bit hurt.

Had she made the right call? Was being a Power Ranger her true path? What if she couldn't do it? What if someone died because of her? What if she...

"I'm not." Summer replied, shaking her head. "But can you fight? I mean... do you have any experience?"

"Not much. I took three self-defense classes a while ago because of some friends who dragged me into it. But I did pretty okay yesterday, didn't I? And so did Ziggy."

"I didn't see you, but I'm sure you did..." Summer gave her a sympathetic look. _Does_ _she_ _feel sorry_ _for_ _me?_ _She_ _keeps_ _looking_ _at_ _me_ _with_ _concern_ _in_ _her_ _eyes_. "Listen, it's nothing personal, okay? But now that you're bonded to the pink morpher, we need you to be at your best. I could teach you martial arts."

"Really? That'd be great... thank you." Pamela bit her lip and glanced away.

They both continued to eat alone in silence. Car noises could be heard from downstairs. Pamela wondered what the others were doing, and stared at her morpher. She was now the Ranger Operator Series Pink, as Dr. K called her. She knew the doctor didn't approve of her being a ranger, but there was nothing she could do to change that now. She didn't regret saving Ziggy, but the doubts about this new life wouldn't go away.

Pamela and Summer stared at each other in confusion when the noises from downstairs wouldn't stop. What the hell were the others doing?

"Ranger Series Black, please report to the Ranger room." Dr. K's voice startled Pamela.

"I don't think he's going to hear that." The Pink Ranger muttered.

"We should go see what's going on with him and the others." Summer said, standing up.

"Alright." Pamela followed her towards the room where the vehicles were.

Scott and Dillon were in their respective cars, having some sort of contest. Pamela suddenly felt embarrassed because she was afraid of driving and didn't know how. _I_ _hope_ _they_ _don't_ _laugh_ _at_ _me_ _when_ _they_ _find_ _out_...

"What's with all the noise?" Summer asked them.

"Just trying to make a point." Scott replied.

"Keep trying." Dillon retorted.

"Dr. K is calling you, Dillon." Pamela shot him a glance. When he looked at her, she felt her cheeks grow warm. _Damn_ _it_. _He's_ _too_ _pretty_ _for_ _his_ _own_ _good_. When Summer touched her arm, she remembered herself and they both went back to finish their breakfast.

"Dr. K is probably going to want you to train soon. Do you want to start the lessons today?"

"Sure. Sounds good." Pamela looked at her unpainted nails. It was incredible how she could gain bits of courage and confidence, only for them to disappear as quickly as they appeared.

"Hey, what's wrong?" _Oh, great_. Summer was giving that look, again.

"I just can't help but feel like you're treating me like I'm made of glass. Scott and Flynn... are they okay with this? Because they clearly are not okay with me." Pamela didn't want to snap at her, but this was all happening too fast. _What_ _if_ _I'm not_ _strong_ _enough?_

"They're okay with you!" The blonde assured her. "They're just... surprised, that's all."

"You guys probably didn't expect to have three ex-cons on your team, uh?" Pamela shrugged.

Summer chuckled. "Well, no one is perfect. Dillon is a pretty impressive fighter. I'm sure you and Ziggy will do right by the team."

"Were you ladies talking about me?" Pamela and Summer turned their heads in sync at the sound of that voice.

"Don't flatter yourself, Ziggy." Summer smiled. "We were talking about the other guys too."

"But I'm your favorite, right? Pamela?" His eyes moved towards the brunette.

"Of course you are." She gave him a small smile. Ziggy grinned, and Pamela didn't miss the mischievous look Summer gave her.

"Do you girls want to play some pool?" The Green Ranger asked.

"Sure." Summer replied immediately. She grabbed Pamela by the arm, not giving her a chance to respond. "Let's go."

Pamela was terrible at pool. The first and last time she played was at a bar she and Alex had snuck in three months ago. Alex tried to teach her, but then she got distracted by the bartender, and ended up getting so drunk that she couldn't even walk. Pamela had to carry her outside, so she could throw up in a dumpster. She eventually had to call Harriet to come pick them up, and their friend ended up giving them a long lecture about the dangers of sneaking into bars while underage, but Alex fell asleep in the middle of it. Pamela laughed fondly at the memory, and wondered what her friends would think of her now.

"Your turn, Pam." Ziggy handed her the cue stick, and when she looked back at him, his smile fell. "What's wrong?"

It was then when she realized that there was a tear streaming down her right face, and she dried it with her thumb. "I'm fine." _A lie_. "I'm sorry, I just don't feel like playing right now. Rain check?" She walked away quickly, without sparing him or Summer a look. On her way back to her room, she ended up crashing into someone. "Sorry!"

It was Dillon. _Perfect_. His hair was a mess, and he looked severely annoyed.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to get to my room." Pamela looked at the floor, trying to hold back any more tears.

"It's fine. I was going to get something from the fridge. You okay?" She knew that if she met his eyes, she'd probably burst into tears, so she just nodded silently and walked away from him.

Once she was in the room, she sobbed uncontrollably. She wanted to call Robin, to be with her. _I'll never_ _be_ _as strong as she is_...

A knock on the door caused her to gasp, and she looked at her ruined shirt. "Pamela, we have to go!" It was Summer's voice.

"In a second!" Pamela took off her shirt, and looked for another one in the closet. There was a pink one, so she grabbed it and put it on. _I guess this is my color now_.

She opened the door, and found Summer holding a leather jacket, just like the one she had, but with pink details instead of yellow. "This is yours. Put it on, we have a mission." Pamela did as she asked, and they both headed towards the vehicles.

Summer took off on her motorcycle, and Ziggy jumped into Flynn's hummer. Pamela looked around, not knowing how she was supposed to leave. Her eyes met Dillon's.

"Why aren't you in your car?"

"It's not working right now."

"Hey, you two!" Scott's voice interrupted them. "Need a ride?"

Dillon got in the passenger seat, while Pamela sat in the back. "Thank you." She told Scott.

"No problem." The Red Ranger replied. When he started driving, Pamela regretted not wearing the seat belt.

"Dude! I thought Dillon drove like a maniac, but you are way worse!" Pamela blurted out. Scott laughed and Dillon looked as frightened as she was. When they finally arrived at the scene, Pamela covered her eyes in annoyance. "Fucking grinders!"

"You can curse them later, let's go!" Scott said. He and Dillon got out of the car, and Pamela followed them. Summer, Ziggy and Flynn were already fighting. Summer and Flynn moved gracefully, but Ziggy looked as if he were dancing with the grinders rather than fighting them. _Focus,_ _Pamela,_ _focus_...

One grinder grabbed her from behind, so she kicked it with her elbow, and turned around to punch another. Three more came after her, and she tried to kick one with her right leg, but she tripped and when she tried to get up, the other two pushed her right back on the floor. Furious, she grabbed one of them by the leg, and threw it towards the others. She noticed that Scott, Summer and Flynn were already morphed, using their weapons to destroy the grinders. Ziggy was still struggling in a corner, so she ran off to help him.

"You okay?"

"I'll be better once this is over! How about we morph?"

"Sounds good to me!" Preparing their morphers, they shouted in unison, "RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

"I still can't believe this!" Pamela shouted, throwing punches at the grinders. "I'm a superhero!"

"I know, right?" Ziggy said, kicking a dumpster towards a grinder. Pamela went towards him, and they both picked up another dumpster and threw it towards the rest of the grinders.

"Nice job!" Ziggy exclaimed, and they high-fived. "Oh, look, Dillon's fighting Tenaya!" Pamela turned around to look, and there they were. Dillon was morphed, fighting the robot girl. Pamela wanted to go help him, but more grinders appeared in front of her and Ziggy.

"Damn it! These things don't give up!" She tried to evade them, but it was difficult. Ziggy was also trying his best, and Pamela was grateful for him. She caught sight of Dillon again, who was now laying on the floor, about to be attacked by Tenaya. "We have to help him!" She motioned to Ziggy.

"You go, I'll take care of these grinders!" He assured her. Pamela remained motionless for a moment, not knowing if it was wise to leave him alone. A loud noise brought her back, and she realized that Scott, Summer and Flynn used their combined weapons to get rid of Tenaya. _Looks_ _like_ _he_ _didn't need_ _our_ _help_ _after_ _all_. She sighed, and helped Ziggy defeat the few grinders that were left. She felt a lot more powerful while she was morphed, but her fighting skills were still clumsy and impractical. _Maybe letting Summer help me is actually a good idea..._

Once they were all unmorphed, they headed back to the garage. Dr. K questioned Dillon about his ability to use his suit shield, and ordered him to do more training. Pamela watched their exchange, and noticed that Dillon was growing angry at the computer screen. She couldn't blame him; it was hard to take orders from someone without knowing what they looked like. She still supported the theory that Dr. K could be a woman, but it was hard to be completely sure.

"You see, it's not the suit I have a problem with. It's you." _He sure is bold..._

"Dillon, you're out of line." Scott said. Pamela wanted to stay of this argument, but her mouth opened against her will.

"Is he, though?" Her eyes moved from Scott to Dillon, who seemed shocked that she had spoken.

"What are you trying to say, Pamela?" Scott wondered.

"Nothing. Just that we don't even know what this Dr. K looks like, that's all."

"Exactly." Dillon nodded. "It could be anyone broadcasting from anywhere."

"Rangers Black and Pink, I assure you no one wants to destroy the Venjix virus more than me."

"Then try testing the invincibility shield yourself." Dillon spat, storming out of the room.

Pamela looked at her fellow rangers, and pursed her lips. _Screw it_. "I'll go talk to him." She ran towards Dillon, who was heading towards his room.

"Hey, wait." She called after him.

"What is it?" He looked both frustrated and tired, and she hoped talking to him would soothe him.

"Listen, I think you have a point about Dr. K. But I also think you need to learn to use the shield... to help out the team, you know?"

Dillon sighed, and looked a bit calmer now. "Yeah, I know. But I don't know if I trust Dr. K."

"Then trust the others. They seem to have faith in this Dr. K." It seemed hypocritical of her to demand him to trust the rest of the team, when she barely trusted them herself. She had just met them after all.

"Do you trust them?" Dillon asked her, raising an eyebrow.

Pamela bit her lip, shutting her eyes for a second. "Honestly? I don't know. But this team is all I have right now. The only friends I ever had could be either dead or miles away from here. I guess I just need to believe in something, even if my brain is telling me not to."

Dillon's eyes bored into hers. Pamela turned scarlet, and glanced up to the floor. _Since when do I get nervous around pretty boys?_

"Alright." He said. Pamela met his gaze once again, and waited for him to say something else, but he didn't. "I'm going to check on the others." She murmured, and headed back towards the ranger room.

Scott and Flynn were in the middle of a debate, while Summer and Ziggy spoke with Dr. K. Pamela looked at each one of them, hugging herself. _I_ _might_ _as_ _well_ _try_ _to_ _get_ _along_ _with_ _all of_ _them_. _But_ _I_ _don't_ _know_ _if_ _I'm_ _ready_ _for_ _new_ _friends_. They hadn't noticed her presence, so she left the room and went straight to her bed. She wanted to escape her thoughts once again.

The next day, Summer wasn't in the room when Pamela woke up. The Pink Ranger went to the fridge to grab something to eat, and noticed that Flynn was in the kitchen making smoothies. "Morning." He greeted her.

"Hey." She gave him a smile.

"You want one?" The Blue Ranger asked.

"Sure! Thank you." Flynn handed her an orange smoothie, with a white straw and a pink cocktail umbrella. "It fits." She said, pointing at the umbrella, and then at herself.

"Aye." He flashed her a quick smile, and they began drinking in silence. When it looked like he was about to say something, the alarms sounded. They both ran towards the computers to meet up with the others. There was a man on the screen, which Pamela supposed it was Scott's father, Colonel Truman.

"Rangers, we have multiple Venjix targets approaching fast." Pamela looked around the room, and noticed that Dillon was missing.

"Where's Dillon?" She asked.

"I don't know." Scott replied. "Go find him." Pamela nodded and ran upstairs towards his room, nearly bumping into the Black Ranger.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly. "But we have to go!" Loud screams could be heard from downstairs, and Pamela raised her brows in confusion. Dillon immediately jumped towards where the sounds were coming from, and Pamela's jaw dropped at his energy. When she looked down, she noticed that Summer, Ziggy and Flynn were hitting Scott with cue sticks. _What_ _the_ _hell_ _is_ _happening?_

"Rangers, I am picking up signs of an intruder." Dr. K's serial killer voice informed them. Pamela ran downstairs to help, and realized there was a robotic hand running around Scott's body.

"Stop hitting him!" Pamela yelled. "Wait for the thing to leave him alone!" The hand eventually landed on the floor, and when Pamela started chasing it, the others morphed. She was about to do the same, when the hand jumped towards her wrist and took her morpher. "Oh, come on!"

"I'm just taking what should have been mine all along!" A voice suddenly said.

"Is that Tenaya?" Ziggy asked, holding his weapon.

"We can't hit the hand while it's holding the morpher!" Flynn protested.

"Just don't let it get away!" Summer exclaimed.

Pamela felt useless at the moment. _If_ _I_ _don't_ _do_ _something_ _soon_ , _the_ _others_ _are going_ _to_ _think_ _even_ _less_ _of_ _me_. She went to pick up the laser torch, and sighed at her own recklessness. _I_ _don't_ _know_ _what_ _else_ _to_ _do_. "EVERYBODY LOOK OUT!" The rangers ran to cover themselves, but Dillon used his invincibility shield to protect them. The hand jumped, throwing the morph across the room. Pamela dropped the torch, looking around for the morph.

"I got it!" Summer picked it up in her hands, nodding at Pamela. The corners of her mouth lifted, and she grabbed the morpher, putting it back safely on her wrist.

"I'm sorr-"

"Rangers, the Venjix targets are almost here. You're going to need your zords."

"Got it!" Scott said. "Pamela, it's time for you to morph!"

"Right. RPM, GET IN GEAR!" They all headed outside, and she, Dillon and Ziggy watched as the others combined their zords to fight the attack bot. But Venjix was also sending attacks from the air, which caused serious damage towards the megazord.

"Doc!" Dillon called. "We need some firepower here. You think I can handle my zord?"

"It has a steering wheel, so you should be able to drive it, right?"

"Now we're talking!"

"Wait!" Pamela clapped her hands. "Do I have to drive a zord as well?"

"Of course." Dr. K replied. "Or would you rather stay behind and miss the fight?"

 _I_ _don't_ _even_ _know_ _how_ _to_ _drive a_ _car... how_ _am_ _I supposed_ _to_ _drive_ _a_ _zord?_ She kept that information to herself, looking at her Black and Green teammates, as well as the ones who were still struggling in the battlefield. "Of course not. Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Dillon and Ziggy exclaimed. They called in their zords, and Pamela's heart beat with excitement. Her zord was a giant pink turtle, and she laughed at how ridiculous that was.

"We're in!" They announced in unison.

"How do I drive this thing?" She heard Ziggy yell.

"So I'm not the only one who has no idea what do to! Good to know!" She gritted her teeth, moving the wheel and trying to imitate a driver. "Fast and Furious ain't got nothing on me!"

"Good one!" Ziggy laughed, using his zord's tail to destroy some grinders that were coming at them, while Dillon fired at the ones in the air. Pamela looked around the pink cockpit, and wondered if Strawberry Shortcake designed it. She pressed a button on her right, and her zord began to fire shots at the attack bot.

"I don't know what I'm doing! Oh my God, oh my God!"

"Take it easy, Pamela!" Dillon said. "Let's help her out, Ziggy!"

"Yeah!"

Ziggy and Dillon attacked the attack bot as well, and the rest of the rangers took back control on their megazord.

"Lateral controls restored!" Summer announced. They armed their weapon and used it against the attack bot. "Power Rangers RPM! Super Saber!" The robot was destroyed, and Pamela closed her eyes. _What_ _a_ _way_ _to_ _start_ _the_ _day_...

Jumping out of the zord was even scarier than getting in, so she closed her eyes and opened them once she was on the floor. She demorphed alongside the others, and they headed back towards the garage.

"Now, I'm proud of you boys. And lass." Flynn said once they were inside, patting Ziggy's shoulders. "You did good!"

"Watch the hair!" Ziggy warned him, smiling widely.

Pamela couldn't help but smile too. "I'm just sorry about the whole laser torch thing. I just didn't know how else to get the morpher back. We're lucky that Dillon was able to use his shield." She said, glancing at the Black Ranger. He smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Doc K, I... I owe you an apology." Dillon told the computer screen.

"No. I owe all of you something." All the computer screens turned black, and the door to the ranger room opened by itself. Pamela looked at her teammates, and wondered if this was the moment where Dr. K was going to come out and kill them all.

When they entered the room, another room opened, and there was gas coming out of it.

"Okay, this is scary as fuck!" Pamela wanted to hide, but curiosity was getting the best of her. _Who_ _the_ _hell_ _is_ _Dr. K?_ Scott stepped inside the room, but the chair that was there was empty.

"Hello, rangers." Pamela let out a scream, and turned around to see who had spoken. The others did the same, and she couldn't help but bark a laugh.

"I'm Dr. K" There she was. A girl that looked no older than 15, with short black hair and dressed in a white lab coat.

"What? You thought I'd be taller?" Finally, the Jigsaw voice was gone, and Pamela stared at the doctor with a winning smile.

"Ha! I knew it! I knew Dr. K could be a woman! And I was right!" She blurted out. The others just stared at the doctor, paying no mind to what she was saying.

* * *

 _Next time: Pamela trains with Summer and Dr. K, and Ziggy gets a visit from the mob._


	13. Chapter 13

**Guest** : Your review made my day! I'm so glad I could inspire you. Let me know when you post that story so I can read it. I can promise you that Pamela and Dillon are going to kiss, but unfortunately it won't happen anytime soon.

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

"Okay, so for this move, what you have to do is lift your leg off the floor, and then bend your knee." Summer told Pamela that morning.

They had been training for almost a week now, and Pamela was exhausted. The blonde had been teaching her several martial arts moves, and each one was harder to learn than the other.

"Now I need you to kick me horizontally with the ball of your foot, but make sure to twist your hips and quickly snap your knee."

Pamela did as instructed, and her kick was delivered to Summer's head. The Yellow Ranger ended up on the floor, yelping.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Pamela cried, offering the girl both of her hands so she could get up. "I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"I'm okay." Summer reassured her, grabbing Pamela's hands. "You did well. I'm proud of you."

A bright smile appeared on Pamela's face, and she felt her cheeks grow warm. "Thank you. You're a great teacher." She looked down at her now pink nails, and sighed. "I'm nervous about training with Dr. K, though. I don't think she likes the idea of me being a ranger, since she didn't choose me."

"I don't think she likes any of us, to be honest." Summer said. That was most likely true. Even after the doctor had revealed her identity to the rangers; she continued to act distant towards them, refusing to address them by their names, and having her meals in her room all by herself; instead of sitting with them at the main table.

"I wonder how Ziggy is doing." Pamela wondered. Just like her, the Green Ranger hadn't been chosen to be a Series Operator, and he probably wasn't helping his case by constantly bringing up the fact that he had been positive that the young Dr. K was a guy. He was currently testing his teleportation ability, and Pamela hoped that he wasn't having too many problems mastering it.

It was amazing, the more she thought of it. A young girl was responsible for the existence of the Power Rangers, and all the weaponry behind them. Pamela wondered where Dr. K had come from, where were her parents, and where did she learn everything that she knew. However, she knew she couldn't just ask her, so she kept her questions to herself.

"Ranger Series Pink, please report to the Ranger room." Dr. K's real voice echoed in her ears.

"Oh, shit." Pamela covered her face with her hands. "I feel like this is going to be scarier than a high school math test."

Summer giggled, and patted her on the shoulder. "You'll be fine. Good luck."

"Thanks." Pamela sighed, heading towards the Ranger room. Once in there, her jaw dropped, and she was forced to cover her face again; but for an entirely different reason.

"What the hell?!" She whined. "Ziggy, why are you in your underwear?" The boy had been standing there with his head covered by the ranger helmet, and wearing nothing but his boxers.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Pamela could hear the desperate tone of his voice. "I was trying out the suit and I thought I had it all under control, but apparently I don't because now I'm standing here with no shirt and no pants..."

"Okay, okay! Stop babbling and go get dressed."

"Yeah, I'll go do that." She heard him storm out of the room, and opened her eyes again. Dr. K was on the computer, completely oblivious by what just occurred.

"Jeez, Dr. K." Pamela griped, glaring at the girl. "Why didn't you wait until he left to call me here?"

"I assumed you would be unbothered by Ranger Green's state of undress." Dr. K stated, her gaze finally diverting from the screen to Pamela.

"Well, you assumed wrong." Pamela declared.

Dr. K ignored her comment. "You've been summoned here to test the ability of your suit, which is to move objects at a distance by mental power."

"You mean telekinesis?" Pamela asked, her eyes wide.

"That'd be the correct term." Dr. K replied, looking back the computer. "I suggest you morph, so we can start with the training."

The Pink Ranger nodded, inserting her Engine Cells on the morpher, and pulling on the gear level. "RPM, GET IN GEAR!" She shouted. Her heart always beat faster every time she transformed into a Power Ranger; it was a feeling she'd never experienced before. _I wish aunt Robin could see me now... I wish my friends could see me... I wish my parents..._

"Ranger Pink, please pay attention." Dr. K reprimanded, and Pamela went back to reality.

"I'm sorry, I got lost in my thoughts."

"Clearly." The doctor gave her a disapproving look. "Try not to do that when you're on the battlefield. Now, in order to fully control this ability, you must have complete and absolute confidence in your skills and in the suit. It's important that your head is clear from any insecurities or fears. Can you do that?"

Pamela was grateful that Dr. K couldn't see her frightened expression. _No insecurities or fears? How am I supposed to be focused when my head is constantly spinning?_ "Sure." She replied, trying to sound confident.

"Very well." Dr. K picked up something from her desk, and Pamela was surprised to see what it was. "Now, try to lift up this book." _I didn't take her for an avid book reader. She's always with computers, after all..._

Pamela attempted to focus solely on the object, and trying her best to ignore Dr. K's stares. She even moved her hands in the air, as if she were a witch. But her attempts were useless.

Dr. K sighed. "Try again."

Pamela closed her eyes this time, her brows snapping together. _Move the book, move the book, move the book..._

"It's working." Pamela heard the doctor say. "Keep going." She was now completely focused on the book, until the sound of the alarm startled her. She opened her eyes, and the book was now laying on the floor.

"We will continue this training session after we deal with this threat." Dr. K announced, picking up the book. The other rangers stormed into the room, and Pamela was glad to see that Ziggy was now wearing clothes. "There's some kind of magnetic disturbance that's storming the city's central computer banks." The doctor informed them.

"Let's go!" Scott commanded. Once they were outside, Pamela watched her fellow rangers morph and they ran together towards the Venjix attack bot.

 _Oh, great, we have to fight Magneto._ Their adversary was a giant magnet, and Dr. K had informed them that the thing had taken very important shield codes; so they should not let it get away under any circumstances. Ziggy was supposed to teleport in order to bypass the machine's magnetic interference. The rangers tried to use their Nitro Blasters against the magnet, but the magnetic force was too strong, and their weapons were now slipping away from their hands.

"Ziggy, teleport now." Scott ordered, as they all wrestled to hold their weapons and keep their balance. Pamela could see Ziggy struggling with his morpher, completely lost.

"Nitro Swords!" The Red Ranger yelled, and they morphed their weapons into saber mode. Together, they jumped the magnet, and the robot ended up un the floor.

"Where's Ziggy?" Pamela asked, as the Venjix attack bot ran away. "Damn it, Magneto escaped. Where are you, Ziggy?!" She continued to shout.

"Rangers, please return to the base of operations." Dr. K said.

"But Ziggy is missing." Dillon pointed out.

"He's not missing. Ranger Series Green has been arrested by the authorities. It seems he landed on the bank, and was caught inside a vault trying to steal money."

"Well, this is clearly a mistake. They have to let him out." Pamela started to run towards the prison, and she could hear the others urging her to return.

"Pamela, where are you going?" Scott asked her, frustrated. "We have to return to the base!"

"You guys do that! I'll just go check on him real quick." When Pamela made it to the prison, she politely asked the guards to let her in. Since she was a ranger, they didn't argue with her, and she demorphed once she made it inside.

Ziggy was sitting in one of the cells; now wearing the orange prison uniform, and being interrogated by Colonel Truman. When her presence was noticed, Ziggy nearly fell from his chair, and the Colonel gave her a stern look.

"Colonel Truman, my name's Pamela Seaver. I'm the Ranger Operator Series Pink. Could I please have a moment alone with Ziggy? I promise you it won't be long, sir." She tried her best to sound as mannerly as her nerves would let her, and kept her head up while she spoke.

The Colonel studied her for a moment, until he let out a sigh. "Fine. You have five minutes." When he left the cell, Pamela took a seat and stared at an anxious Ziggy.

"What happened? Dr. K said you ended up inside the vault of a bank."

"It was accident!" He held up his hands. "I couldn't control the suit."

"I know it was an accident, Ziggy. But why won't they just let you go?"

The boy was no longer looking at her, and Pamela's eyes softened. _It's so strange not to see him smile._ "Is this about the sketchy guy that threatened us the other day?" He didn't answer her, but Pamela could tell that her suspicions were correct.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me. But I'll stay with you until they let you leave. This is ridiculous. You're a Power Ranger, for crying out loud."

"Pamela!" A girly voice called out. She turned to see Summer and Dillon; both entering the cell with Colonel Truman, who was carrying a laptop.

"You should have waited for us." The blonde said, but there was no anger in her tone. Summer took the laptop from the Colonel's hands and opened it, and Dr. K appeared on the screen.

"I've been informed of your association with the Scorpion Cartel, and the disappearance of a cargo worth 5 million dollars. If you don't tell us what actually happened, you'll be suspended indefinitely from project Ranger."

Ziggy remained silent, and Pamela urged him to speak. "Come on, Ziggy, just tell us the truth... please." But no words came out of his mouth, and Pamela couldn't believe that a guy who was always rambling about something would stay quiet under a situation like this one.

"Well then, that seals it." Dr. K declared. "Colonel Truman, please remove the Series Green morpher from Ziggy's wrist."

"Come on, Doc!" Dillon complained. "We don't even know for sure what happened."

"We don't know because he won't tell us." The doctor said. Pamela stared at both Summer and Dillon, while Ziggy took out his morpher.

"I'm sorry." She drifter her gaze back to Ziggy.

"Guys, we need your help!" Flynn's thick Scottish accent came out of their morphers. "It's urgent!"

"Let's go!" Summer gestured towards the exit, but Pamela hesitated.

"I promised Ziggy I would stay with him until he could leave."

"No, no, Pam..." Ziggy shook his head. "You have to go fight the attack bot."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. The team needs you more."

Pamela pursed her lips and nodded, leaving the cell with the other two rangers.

"It just don't feel right to leave him alone in there." She grumbled, as they ran to Scott and Flynn's aid.

"We'll get him back." Dillon reassured her. Pamela glanced at him as they ran, hoping that he was right. They made it just in time; Scott and Flynn were fighting the magnet and an army of grinders. After morphing, Pamela ran towards the grinders, and tried to remember everything Summer had taught her.

One grinder stood right infront of her, so she hit its metal chin with the heel of her palm. Another one pushed her towards a monticule of screws, and she fell on her back.

"Pamela! Remember the kick!" Summer shouted, as she hit a grinder with her elbow. The Pink Ranger stood up, and her foot crushed the robotic soldier. She felt a tiny ache in her left knee afterwards, but continued to fight. _How many more of these things are out there?_

The magnet pulled Scott and Flynn by their weapons, and smashed them together. Both rangers cried out in pain; and then the attack bot charged up its hands, sending a blast that threw Pamela and the others on the floor; causing them to unmorph. She tried to get up, but ended up tripping over her own feet.

"Ugh! It hurts!" Pamela shrieked, grabbing her knee. Dillon gripped her by the arms, helping her get up. "Thank you." She uttered.

"Hey Pamela, you doing alright?" Flynn asked.

They were all giving her concerned looks, and she gulped. _I can't back down from this._ "I'm fine. It just hurts a little, but I can still fight. Let's go find this piece of junk!" She encouraged.

"Right!" The others replied in unison. Running again towards the magnet, Pamela bit her tongue to avoid crying out in pain, her eyes now watery.

 _Oh, great, more grinders. Perfect._ Pamela knew she was in no condition to fight, but she had no choice. The Rangers were counting on her, and Ziggy was still waiting alone in a prison cell. _Why am I letting myself become so attached?_ Her mind went back to her training session with Dr. K, and the book she had managed to lift up. _A grinder isn't a book, thought. But I guess I have to try._ "RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

Closing her eyes, just like she did earlier, she focused on a particular grinder, not letting the sounds of the others fighting nor her own worries distract her. _Come on, come on..._

There was a loud crash, and when she opened her eyes, she noticed that the grinder ended up smashing a few others; knocking them out completely.

"Well done, Pamela!" Summer congratulated; she was now morphed as well.

"It's trying to hot-wire the gate!" Scott said, alarmed. "Flynn, Summer, let's combine our weapons!"

The Blue and Yellow Rangers nodded in agreement, and combined their Turbo Cannon and Zip Charger with the Red Ranger's Street Saber. Pamela watched the robot explode as her teammates fired the deadly blast. But the grinders were not done with them, so she called out for her Glowing Staff.

"Take this!" Pamela used her weapon to strike as many grinders as she could, while Dillon continued to fight unarmed. He was quick and skilled, as if he had years of experience. She supposed the Venjix technology in his body gave him a lot of advantage, but even without it, he could probably manage to be a decent fighter. He had the muscular physique of a warrior after all. _Now is not the time to think about Dillon's body._

Magneto became huge, which meant they had to call in the zords. Unfortunately, there were still a large number of grinders to deal with.

"We got this!" Dillon shouted. "Go!"

"Right!" Scott nodded. Pamela sighed with relief; she was not in any condition to pilot a zord. She preferred to continue destroying grinders. Fighting side by side with Dillon felt like a dance, and while her knee still hurt, the desire of saving the day and help Ziggy go free were stronger than the pain. Her heart was beating faster by each second, and she was positive that her body was sore everywhere. The spandex was amazingly comfortable, but she wanted to unmorph and take a shower. _Just a few more grinders..._

The others were battling the attack bot in the megazord, and Pamela wanted to try using telekinesis again, but her mind wasn't in the right place for it. She hit two more grinders with her staff, and Dillon destroyed three more.

The megazord was getting some serious hits, and Pamela wondered if it was now time for her and Dillon to call their own zords.

"We should go help them!" She told Dillon, but as soon as the words left her lips, another zord appeared on the air. "I can't believe it! It's Ziggy!"

"Looks like he made it through!" Dillon said.

Ziggy's zord hit the robot with its tail, and the Rangers took his sudden return as an opportunity to join the Tail Spinner with the High Octane Megazord. Pamela and Dillon finished fighting the grinders, and stood next to each other as the blade demolished Magneto for good.

"I'm so glad it's over." She whispered, unmorphing. Her body felt numb and she was having a hard time keeping her eyes opened, until there was only darkness...

 _"_ _Where am I?" Pamela looked around, trying to find the other rangers. She was standing in a garden full of flowers. There were roses, daisies, tulips... "Dillon?! Summer?! Anyone?!" She started to panic and began to run. "Where are you guys?!"_

 _"_ _Hello, dear." A familiar voice_ _astonished her, and when she saw who it was, tears began to run down her cheeks._

 _"_ _Mom?" Her voice was a whisper. "I'm dreaming, this is all in my head. This is all in my head." She repeated the same thing over and over, but the vision of her mother wouldn't go away._

 _"_ _Come with me, Pammy." Her mom started to walk away._

 _"_ _Wait! Don't go!" She knew it was all a lie; her mother had been dead for years. But could living a beautiful lie be better than the revolting truth? Pamela wanted to go after her mom, but her feet wouldn't move. "Please, please! I want to go with her! Mom!"_

 _The vision of her mother was fading away, and the flowers were slowly turning into stone. "Please mom, please mom..."_

"It is possible that her conscience is trapped in a very powerful dream." A girl's voice said.

"But we have to do something to wake her up; look at her, she's suffering!" Another voice said. It was a guy's.

"Look guys, her eyes are opening!" Another feminine voice said.

The light of the room burned her eyes, so Pamela closed them again.

"No, no, don't fall asleep again." She heard someone say. Against her wishes, she opened her eyes one more time, and realized where she was.

"What happened?" She asked.

"It appears that the use of the telekinesis, combined with the pain of your knee, caused you to slip into unconsciousness." Dr. K stated. Pamela was still trying to keep her eyes open, but was now able to recognize the voices.

"How did I get here?"

"Ranger Series Black carried you in his arms." The doctor replied.

"Dillon?" Pamela called, her throat dry. She opened her eyes fully, taking in the sight of Dr. K and the Rangers, who were surrounding her. Dillon was standing next to Ziggy, and Summer was between Scott and Flynn. All the Rangers had worried looks of their faces, and Pamela hoped it wasn't pity. _I don't want them to think I'm weak._ Pamela smiled at Dillon, and he nodded in return. Looking down at her knee, she noticed that her pants had been cut off, and that her injury was now patched up. She was now laying on the Ranger room, and the bed was unbelievably comfy.

"I apologize for damaging your clothing, but it was necessary in order to inspect the injury." Dr. K told Pamela, touching her forehead. "Fortunately the fever is down, but you need to rest. Series Operators, I suggest you leave the room to let Ranger Pink regain her strength."

"Wait, Ziggy!" Pamela groaned. "What happened to you? How did you get out?"

"That's a funny story, actually." The Green Ranger said, as the others made their way out of the room. Dr. K eyed Ziggy suspiciously, and the boy held her gaze until the girl broke eye contact. She walked towards her computer screen, and Pamela was left alone in Ziggy's company.

The boy leaned closer to her, whispering. "I was taken by the cartel, and they were going to kill me..."

Pamela blinked a few times. "Kill you? Was it because of the 5 million dollars thing?"

"Yeah." Ziggy nodded. "The thing is... I gave away what was on the truck to an orphanage, but I couldn't tell Fresno Bob the truth, or else they'd go after the kids." He seemed nervous for a moment, and this revelation made Pamela comprehend why he hadn't say anything about it before.

"So you were willing to die to protect a group of children? That's... that's truly honorable, Ziggy." She smiled at him in wonderment, and could have sworm that the boy was now blushing.

"I was about to die, when Dr. K showed up and basically scared all the gangsters away. It was pretty amazing." He was still whispering; probably hoping that the doctor wouldn't overhear their conversation. She was still typing on the computer; paying no attention to either of them.

"Dr. K went outside?" Pamela mused. "Looks like a lot of incredible things happened today."

Dr. K approached them, glaring at Ziggy. "Your time is up, Ranger Green. Go to bed, and let Ranger Pink recover in silence."

The boy gulped, and Pamela gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "You can tell me the rest later." Ziggy grinned, and ran out of the room.

Pamela felt uneasy under the doctor's company. Dr. K was younger and smaller than she was, but she was also the brain of the Rangers, and knew things that Pamela would never understand. "Hey, Doctor... I'm sorry I let you down."

Dr. K's face was hard to read during that moment. _Does she want to hug me or kill me? Probably the latter..._

"The attack bot was defeated, and the city is safe. As far as I'm concerned, the mission went according to plan." Her voice was stern, and Pamela didn't know if that was a good thing or not. "Sleep well." Without sparing her a second glance, Dr. K left the room, and Pamela closed her eyes. _I hope I get to see mom again..._

* * *

 _Next time: Scott is forced to relive his past, and Pamela and Dillon have a conversation._


	14. Chapter 14

Thank you for all the reviews and words of encouragement. I'm sorry I can't update more often. Hope you like this chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

It had been a week since Pamela had been benched. Her knee was slowly getting better, but the headaches and intense dreams wouldn't stop. She kept seeing her mom every night, and sometimes her dad. Occasionally she'd wake up with tears streaming down her face, and her body covered in sweat.

Pamela hated it. Hated the fragments in her head that reminded her of everything she'd lost, before and after Venjix. And she spent too much time, far, far too much time reliving the memory of her house being destroyed and her aunt almost dying.

 _Mom and dad's graves!_ She'd completely forgotten about that. Her parents had been buried in the Kemingdale cemetery. She'd spent so many hours in there, bringing flowers and speaking to them about her life.

 _Life._ Was there anything to life other than sorrow? Everything around her was a fight, a challenge. Venjix, attack bots, grinders, Tenaya.

 _I'm so tired of thinking. I want the voices to go away._

Summer was a heavy sleeper, so she didn't notice when Pamela left the room that night to go to the kitchen to get some water.

She felt so incompetent next to the other rangers. They wouldn't say anything, but she could tell they were worried she might screw up again. Ziggy had been kind enough to not point out her failure while he finished telling her the 'Dr. K saved him' story. He was a little firecracker; always full of energy and never backing down despite his bad luck.

"Nice flowers."

Pamela's whole face flushed when Dillon appeared in the kitchen. He went to the fridge to get something, and she looked down at her pajamas, feeling embarrassed. _His timing sucks._ Her night outfit was a white camisole and a white pair of shorts, both covered in pink flowers. Summer had suggested her that it would be better to sleep dressed in case Venjix attacked during the night, but since Pamela was injured, she'd figured that wasn't important for now. Dillon met her eyes after he finished drinking a glass of juice, and she bit her lip.

"What are you doing up?"

"I don't really sleep." Dillon replied, sitting next to her. He was wearing his daily clothes; black shirt and jeans, and was holding the same pocket watch Pamela had seen him with when he convinced her to stay.

"Pretty watch."

"Yeah... it plays a tune, but I don't really remember what it means." He seemed sad for a moment, and Pamela wanted to hold his hand. Actually, she wanted to do a lot more than that, but wouldn't say it out loud. _Why does he have to be so pretty? Why? I'm a terrible person for thinking about sex right now when..._

"How's your knee?" Dillon asked, interrupting Pamela's inappropriate thoughts.

"It's getting better. Dr. K said I could get back on the field in a couple of days. She told me I should be more careful next time."

"She's a handful, isn't she?"

"The word I was thinking of was 'difficult', but you're right." They both chuckled and stared at each other. Pamela looked down at his lips. She wanted to kiss them, and bite them, and explore his mouth with her tongue. Dillon seemed to be analyzing her pajamas. _Damn him. I better listen to Summer's advice next time._ She stood up, painfully aware that she was barely dressed.

"I'm going back to bed. Good night."

"Good night" Dillon said, looking back at his watch. _I wish I knew what he was thinking._

The next day, Scott and Ziggy went to the park to take care of a group of grinders that were threatening civilians. The others were entangled in their usual activities; Dr. K was on the ranger room working on a project, and Dillon, Summer, and Flynn were working on their vehicles. Pamela was awfully bored, so she went back to her room after breakfast and began working on new sketches. She had missed drawing, but with all the chaos of the apocalypse, Robin's 'death', meeting new people, becoming a Power Ranger, and fighting evil robots, there hadn't been any time for it. Even with her injury these past few days, she had been distracted by Ziggy and his tales, and her now undeniable attraction towards Dillon.

It felt weird for her to admit this to herself, but she liked him. Pamela felt stupid for it. She barely knew Dillon, hell, he barely knew himself. But he flustered her, and his whole persona intrigued her. But what was she supposed to do? _I don't even know if he feels the same way..._

Pamela didn't have any friends to talk about this right now. There was Summer, but she didn't know if she could even consider her a friend yet. The blonde was kind, and helped her with everything she needed, but Pamela wasn't sure if the whole thing was out of friendship or duty. She could call Robin, but her aunt would only encourage her to pursue Dillon and she didn't want to. She didn't want to get close to him, or any of the other members of the team. But how long could she avoid that, when they were saving the world together and living together? She missed her old friends, and she missed her mother more than anything.

There were still so many things she didn't know nor understand. How did Dillon get Venjix technology inside his body? How did a guy like Ziggy end up working for mobsters? Where did Dr. K come from and how come she knew so much? Could Venjix actually be defeated? Was there a point in fighting when nearly the entire world had been destroyed? And the most important question of all: were Jenny, Harriet, and Alex still alive?

Dillon's face was fresh in her mind, so she sketched it. His hair, the intensity of his eyes, those lips she wanted so badly to kiss. She couldn't help but draw him. _It's like he's my muse._

After finishing drawing Dillon, she decided Ziggy was next. His hair was a spiky mess, and he had the friendliest face she'd ever seen. Summer was a lot more difficult, with her golden locks and doe-like eyes. Her hand grew tired from sketching so much, so she decided to draw Scott, Flynn, and Dr. K some other time.

When Pamela left her room, the others were nowhere to be seen. She'd figured they went to help out Scott and Ziggy with the grinders, or maybe deal with a new attack bot. She wandered around the kitchen for a few minutes until she entered the ranger room to check on Dr. K. Not that the young doctor needed any help, though. _What kind of name is Dr. K anyway? Sounds like a character from a sci-fi novel._

There she was, all in white, sitting on the computer. "Ranger Pink, I was sure you were still resting."

"I am resting. But where are the others?"

"Allowing the target to escape. This Venjix attack bot might be the most dangerous one yet."

"Well, is there anything I can do? I'm willing to fight again if they need my help."

"Negative, Ranger Pink. I've informed the other rangers that they need to return, while I stay here trying to uncover the cause of the Croc Carrier's catastrophic malfunction. The zord went rogue and nearly destroyed the city."

 _Damn it. I should have been there with them._

"You can leave now." Dr. K said as she typed. "I have work to do."

Pamela sighed. Attempting to make small talk with the doctor was harder than fighting attack bots. "Okay." She limped heavily as she left the ranger room, accidentally bumping into someone.

"Hey, Pamela." It was Ziggy. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah, thanks." She nodded. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help."

"Don't worry." Ziggy said softly. "It got pretty crazy, but we handled it. I got you this from the store after Scott and I saved a baby." He took out something from his jacket pocket, and Pamela's eyes widened when she saw what it was.

"A toy capsule! I haven't seen one of these in years."

"Well, it's yours now." Ziggy grinned, handing it to her.

"Thank you so much!" Pamela said, smiling brightly. The capsule contained a necklace and a bracelet, both pink. The shiny, brightly colored beads were alternated with larger beads of other colors, and the necklace had a big bow on the side.

"I wanted to get the one that had the little green car, but no luck. Since this one had pink stuff inside, I thought you should have it." He told her.

"Thanks." Pamela whispered. "You're very sweet."

Ziggy nodded, blushing. Pamela left his gift in her room, and went to sit down with the others to listen to Dr. K's instructions regarding the Croc Carrier. Pamela tried to pay attention to what she was saying, but her vocabulary was too difficult to follow. Ziggy had fallen asleep; his head resting in a bowl of doritos.

"Rangers. You must now that I miscalculated the required energy levels needed to properly power the remote carrier. The energy-to-size ratio makes it impossible to power the Croc Carrier without an independently operating bio-entity aboard." Dr. K explained.

"Doc, you said the whole unmanned-zord thing would work." Dillon reminded her.

"Theoretically."

"But you said we'd be near." Flynn said, confused.

"We will."

Flynn hissed. "Then how do you possibly expect us..."

"Just relax, guys." Summer interjected. "If it were really impossible, she wouldn't be telling us. My guess is it's just not gonna be easy." _Where does she get all that optimism?_

"Correct." Dr. K nodded. "It will require a remote flux overthruster core reactor." Some weird looking device appeared on the screen, and Pamela wished she'd spent less time ogling Mrs. Davidson and more time paying attention during science class. She had no clue of what they were talking about. It was hard to keep track of such a brainy conversation.

Scott seemed taken aback by what Dr. K had shown them, taking slow steps towards the screen.

"I'm not sure we can find this kind of technology in the city." Summer pointed out.

"We're not gonna find one in the city, and we're not gonna build one, either." Dr. K replied. _How can she be so calm? She's basically saying we're doomed!_

"Look doc, the suspense is just killing me here." Dillon said, clearly annoyed and frustrated. "Do you know where we can get one of those things or not?"

"Nope." Dr. K turned to Scott, who was still staring at the device on the computer. "But he does."

"What do you mean?" Pamela asked, touching Ziggy's back to wake him up. He needed to be part of the conversation. The Green Ranger yawned, and Dr. K sent him a murderous glare.

"I know this device because my brother used it on his fighter plane." Scott turned to them. "It can increase speed and maneuverability."

 _Scott has a brother?_ Pamela had barely spoken to him since they'd met. She didn't know anything about the Red Ranger other than he was their leader, his father was a Colonel, and Summer had helped him get inside the dome.

"I'll ask my father to give me Eagle Squad's last known radar position." Scott said firmly. "It's the only way to get the remote." He rushed out of the room, and Pamela couldn't help the question that came out of her mouth.

"Where is his brother?"

Summer's gaze was soft. "He passed away during the Battle of Corinth." The Yellow Ranger whispered. "Scott survived, and that's when I found him. I didn't mention it before out of respect. He and his father are still in mourning."

No one knew what to say to that, and even Dr. K looked upset. _I need to keep reminding myself that I'm not the only one who has lost someone._ She felt awful for Scott, and wished she could erase all the terrible things Venjix had done.

Pamela managed to get a few hours of sleep without nightmares. Unfortunately, the alarms woke her up, and that's when she knew her free days were over. She changed out of her pyjamas like a speedster, and ran down the stairs.

"Sensors tracking movement." Dillon said, checking the screen. "Locking location."

"I was having an amazing dream." Flynn lamented, shaking his head.

"I was having no dreams." Pamela commented.

"Wait, where's Scott?" Summer wondered, looking around. Their leader wasn't with them.

"The signal's outbound." Dillon confirmed.

A door suddenly opened, and Dr. K appeared. Pamela was willing to bet she hadn't gone to sleep at all. "You'll find that the location of the mystery signal and the coordinates of Ranger Red's morpher are one and the same. Ranger Red left two hours ago on a mission to recover the flux overthruster."

"And you just let him go?" Dillon asked, furious. "All by himself?"

Pamela stood between him and Dr. K. "Easy, Dillon."

"He's team leader." Dr. K said, unbothered by Dillon's attitude. "It was his call."

"I know that." Dillon snapped. "But why are we standing around? We have to go after him."

"If you leave the dome now, you only run the risk of alerting Venjix and increasing Ranger Red's chances of being detected and terminated." Dr. K said as she headed towards the computer, and inserted a disk on it. They all followed her, exchanging anxious looks. Their team leader was MIA, and their mentor had no tact.

Mentor. It felt odd to think of a little girl as a mentor, but Dr. K was undeniably smart. Probably the smartest person left in the world. _Who the hell raised this girl?_

"Scott. His name is Scott." Dillon scowled at Dr. K defiantly. I can't exactly blame him. _She's kind of insensitive._

"And why are you saying terminated?" Pamela added. "You can just say killed. We can't let that happen."

Dr. K ignored their remarks. Voices could now be heard coming from the computer.

"What is that?" Summer asked.

"Air defense radio transmissions from the Battle of Corinth." Dr. K replied.

"Eagle 1, we are taking fire!" A man's voice yelled. He sounded terrified.

"That's Marcus." Summer blurted out. "Scott's brother. He was Eagle 1."

 _Damn it. Scott's brother died horribly. Alone and scared. Venjix has to be destroyed._

"Doc, what is the point of this?" Dillon growled. "Shouldn't we be trying to find a way to help Scott?"

"I am trying to help Ranger Red." Dr. K objected as she typed. "I've informed Colonel Truman that our leader has been compromised. I'm sure the Colonel will bring him back to safety." She turned to Summer and Flynn. "Rangers Yellow and Blue, go out there and wait for Ranger Red. You'll deal with the attack bot."

"Right!" Summer and Flynn replied in unison, both excited to go back to the action. They disappeared from the room in a flash.

"What about us, doctor?" Ziggy questioned. "I mean, you can't expect us to do nothing..."

Dr. K continued to type, not paying any mind to Ziggy's ranting. Pamela glanced at Dillon's impatient face. _He's so cute when he's angry. Ugh, stop it, Pamela! We're on a mission._ She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself for being so inadequate.

"Dr. K!" Colonel Truman's voice intervened. Corporal Hicks was with him, holding the remote.

"What happened to Scott?" Dillon inquired.

"He's fine. Out there fighting with the other rangers." The Colonel replied. I'm sorry about your son. Pamela wanted to say tell him, but knew it wasn't the time nor the place.

Hicks handed Dr. K the device, and she began to work. The thing looked like a piece of junk, covered in a mass of cables.

"Flux overthruster is online." The doctor verified.

"Black, Green, Pink, you are go for Croc Carrier sequencing." Scott called out.

"Ranger Pink, are you positive you're in condition to pilot the zord?" Dr. K asked Pamela.

"I am more than positive." Pamela nodded, trying to sound tough. It was a bit of a lie; her knee still hurt, and driving a zord will probably always freak her out, but there was no backing down for this. _I have to be brave. Mom would want me to be brave._

Pamela, Dillon, and Ziggy headed towards the streets. "RPM, GET IN GEAR!" The giant attack bot was wrecking havoc, and attacking her teammates. I hate these things. They called in their zords, and Pamela gulped once she was inside her Turtle Jeep. She could feel her knuckles turning white as she gripped the steering wheel. _This is crazy. It's like I'm driving a fucking Transformer._

"We're on the scene!" Dillon shouted.

"Guys! Venjix drones at 3 o'clock." Scott warned them, his voice echoing in the cockpit.

"3 o'clock?" Pamela could hear Ziggy chuckle. "That's past their bedtime!" I _admire his confidence._ They fired shots at the drones, taking them out.

"Let's finish this!" Dillon commanded. "Initiate transformation!"

Pamela braced herself when she felt her zord was starting to move. Her Turtle Jeep joined the Croc Carrier, along with Dillon's Wolf Cruiser and Ziggy's Tail Spinner.

"ValveMax Megazord!" They yelled together. "Fire!" The zord's powers were incredible; destroying the attack bot almost immediately with its laser beams.

"We're almost done!" Ziggy said cheerfully. "Tailspin, go!" His zord caused the attack bot to fly away, spinning around. When it came back, they struck one more time. Pamela was amazed by how her suit allowed her to know which buttons to press or levers to push.

The attack bot burst into pieces as the Croc Carrier slew it. "Power Rangers RPM!" The rangers cheered.

 _Another monster down._ Pamela was happy that the robot had been defeated, but she knew it was far from over. Venjix was getting more and more creative with his attack bots, and Tenaya was still out there. The Pink Ranger ended up on with her face against the floor after demorphing and jumping out of the zord.

"Pamela! Are you okay?" Ziggy's concerned voice sounded louder than it actually was. Pamela tried to stand up, but failed miserably. Her head was aching and her eyes were foggy. Ziggy offered her a hand, and so did Dillon. She took them both and got up.

"Thanks, guys."

"You feel a little dizzy, don't you?" Ziggy asked her while they walked back to the garage. _We really should have taken Dillon's car. My legs are killing me!_

"Yeah, I can't help it." Pamela replied. "Driving a zord freaks me out."

"You're not alone on that." Ziggy patted her arm. "It's really scary! Fun, but scary."

"That was a close call, guys." Summer said. "I don't know what would have happened if Scott hadn't gotten the remote."

"Yeah, but what were you thinking about going on that mission alone, chief?" Flynn asked him.

"I'm sorry, guys." Scott shrugged. "But it was something I had to do by myself."

Pamela stared at him for a moment. His eyes were filled with melancholy, something that she'd seen a million times on her own reflection. They made it back to the garage in a few minutes, and found that Dr. K had fallen asleep in her chair.

"I can't believe she's sleeping on the job!" Ziggy laughed.

"Quiet, Ziggy!" Summer sushed him.

"I'll go get her a blanket." Flynn whispered, heading towards his room.

"I'm tired too." Ziggy mumbled. "I'm going to sleep."

"I'm going to the kitchen to get a sandwich." Summer said quietly. "I'm starving."

"Me too." Dillon agreed, following her.

Pamela was left alone with Scott, who was now staring at his brother's power source, which was still on the table.

"I'm sorry about your brother." She told him soothingly. "I know I'm not the best ranger, but I can promise you I'll help you get justice for him."

"He chose me." His voice was scratchy, and Pamela was sure he was trying to hold back tears. "For the position of second squad leader. I found the envelope with his recommendation... and he chose me."

Pamela squeezed his arm. "I'm sure he'd be proud of you."

"Thank you." Scott mumbled, turning away. "Good night." He nearly knocked against Flynn when he returned with his blanket for Dr. K. The Blue Ranger gave him a sympathetic nod, which Scott returned.

 _These people... I can't help it, but I care for them. I didn't want to care, but I do_.

* * *

 _Next time: Summer reunites with her parents, Tenaya returns, and Pamela starts to notice something._


	15. Chapter 15

_**Warning:**_ This chapter has some **M** stuff in it. The rating will be **M** from now on. I hope this doesn't make anyone uncomfortable, but there will be several sex scenes in the future. I just can't help myself.

Polyvore has been shot down, so I made a **Pinterest** board for this story. You can search for **_BarbyChan4ever_** to find it. I kind of miss Polyvore because it made it easier to organize the outfits, but Pinterest isn't so bad. I'm constantly updating it, so that's fun.

I went back and added a few extra lines from chapters 1 to 11, but nothing major.

I worked really hard on this chapter, so I hope it doesn't disappoint. Please let me know what you think.

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

For the last month, Pamela's life had gotten crazier and crazier.

Venjix wouldn't give up. It wasn't easy to get any rest when he continued to send attack bot after attack bot. Pamela had been compelled to improve her fighting skills; so Summer continued to train her, and even Flynn showed her a few moves.

Ziggy's fighting had improved as well. Just like Pamela, he kept on having troubles with the powers of the Ranger suit. He was clumsy by default, but did fairly well during the unmorphed fights.

Pamela was certain that she had Scott's approval now. Ever since the conversation they had about Marcus, he had been a lot friendlier towards her. He knew how badly she wanted to do right by the team.

Dr. K hadn't changed at all. She insisted on not calling anyone by their name, and had unpleasant reactions whenever someone referred to the Ranger suits as 'spandex'. Pamela only spoke to her during training sessions and missions.

Dillon was a complex story. He remained courteous towards her, but faintly aloof. And it wasn't like she made any efforts to get closer to him. Whenever he was near, she felt that ridiculous tingle in her chest that reminded her that she liked him, which was the reason she tried to keep her distance. Getting too close could be dangerous; this wasn't some random boy she'd meet at a club and sleep with one night, only to never see him again the next day. He was her teammate, and they lived together. Pamela knew she wanted him, but it was all just lust, and eventually she'd get over it.

Or at least that was what she kept telling herself.

Now that she was a Ranger, Pamela had been given a lot of new clothes, most of them pink. She'd never had so many things to wear before; which is why she never bothered to give a lot of thought to her appearance in her previous life. But now, she walked around wearing a different outfit almost every single day. Her RPM jacket was the only constant thing in her wardrobe.

Summer had an ample closet just like hers, but chose to wear simple yellow shirts and jeans. The blonde insisted that clothes were no longer a priority for her, and that they didn't matter when it came to saving the world.

It was part of an ego thing; Pamela liked having guys whistle whenever she walked by. It hadn't been something she cared about before, but now she desperately needed to feel pretty. People would stop her on the streets to ask her for autographs and pictures, making her feel like a celebrity.

Pamela didn't miss the way Ziggy looked at her either. He would stare at her up and down; babbling whenever she spoke directly to him. She considered hitting on him for a minute, to see how far he'd be willing to go, but decided against it in the end. She didn't want to break his heart.

Pamela had been craving intimacy and contact, which were two things she hadn't had since Venjix destroyed her home. Fortunately, that changed a few nights ago.

 _Pamela had lost count of the times they had done it that night. He had been fierce and passionate, and clearly had a lot of experience, just like her._

 _"_ _I don't want to sound cliché, but that was incredible." Duncan said in a husky voice once Pamela had finished riding him._

 _She collapsed on top of him, completely spent as he ran his hands all over her back. He kissed the snake rose tattoo on her chest, which made her giggle._

 _"_ _I agree." Pamela whispered in his ear. "I have to go now." She jumped out of the bed and started getting dressed. Her underwear had been laying next to the door, and the rest of clothes were dispersed all over the room._

 _"_ _But it's only been a few hours!" Duncan frowned. " Why don't you stay until morning?"_

 _"_ _I can't." Pamela replied, putting back her heels. "Venjix might attack or something. Evil doesn't sleep." She leaned over the bed to kiss him one last time. He caressed her hips and bent down to kiss her belly, and she moaned at the gesture._

 _"_ _It was nice to meet you, Pink Ranger." Duncan said smoothly._

 _"_ _Likewise." Pamela said, smiling. "I'll see myself out."_

Pamela had met Duncan during one of her walks. He had recognized her, and she couldn't help but stop when he approached on the street. He was a writer from Scotland; a few years older than she was, and undeniably handsome. They spoke briefly about insignificant matters like the climate in the dome, and she ended up in his apartment that night.

It had been worth it. His warm body had been a wonderful distraction, and she hoped she'd get more of that soon. Maybe not with him, but it wasn't like she didn't have options.

Her face was on papers and television. Everyone loved the Power Rangers. They were the heroes of the city; the world. But she didn't feel like a hero most of the time. There were so many people that could have been much better than her at being a Ranger. _Alex would have been an amazing Power Ranger._ Her insecurities got the best of her sometimes. Even though she was a better fighter now, it wasn't always easy to concentrate during fights. Her mind would occasionally wander to other places; places it shouldn't be going.

Pamela and Robin had been texting each other a lot lately. She'd visited her recently, and her aunt had bombarded her with a million questions. _"What are your teammates like? How do you feel inside the suit? What's driving a zord like? Is it true that your mentor is a little girl?"_ Those had only been some of the easier ones to reply. Her only living family member was living in a small apartment near the park and had gotten a job in the grocery store. Pamela knew her aunt missed being a librarian though.

The nightmares still haunted her, and if she didn't do something about her sleep deprivation soon, she'd end up collapsing in the battlefield. _Maybe all I need is some sleeping pills. Or a drink. Or to get laid again..._

She was surprised when they had been informed by Colonel Truman that a group of young students would be coming over to the base to listen to a presentation by Dr. K and ask them a few questions. _It's like we're having a press conference..._

They were children, probably no older than 9 or 10. The sight of them brought Pamela back to a time where her parents were alive and well, and life seemed like the most wonderful fairytale.

 _"_ _Hey mom, can I stay with Jenny at her treehouse tonight?" An eight-year-old Pamela asked her mother._

 _"_ _Of course, honey! But please stay inside and don't wander around the yard during the night." Julie Seaver responded. "And make sure to eat Mrs. Wilson's cooking."_

 _"_ _But it's nothing like yours!" Pamela protested._

 _"_ _Oh, Pammy." Julie stroked her daughter's cheek. "She's your friend's mom. You have to be polite. It's important to always be polite and grateful. Remember that."_

 _"_ _I will." Pamela nodded, hugging her mom._

"I have two questions for Ranger Pink." Pamela returned to reality at the mention of her color. She had been standing next to Dillon; not listening to anything that was being said. Her teammates gave her encouraging looks, and she cleared her throat when she got hold of the microphone.

"What's it like being a fashion inspiration for all the girls in Corinth, and how do you feel about being on a team full of cute boys?" Her interviewer was a little blonde girl dressed in a pink overall. Pamela felt her cheeks turn that exact color at those questions.

How could anyone define her as an inspiration for kids? She hadn't gone to college, slept around, drank, and had suicidal thoughts. _Well, none of them know this._

"Well, I don't think of myself as a fashion inspiration; I just wear anything that makes me feel pretty. But thank you for the compliment." Pamela said softly, and the little girl smiled in return. "As for my male teammates..." She was sure her face was scarlet now. "They're all very warmhearted guys. It does help that they're all good looking, but what they have inside is what makes me like having them around." She smiled at Ziggy, who was bright red like her. Flynn winked at her, and Scott squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

Pamela wouldn't dare to look at Dillon.

The kids continued to ask question after question. All the Rangers had a chance to speak, and Pamela's lips curled in amusement at Dillon's short answers. He obviously hated all the attention.

The little boy who had given Dr. K a rage attack earlier by mentioning spandex had a final question for Summer. "Ranger Yellow, will you marry me?"

Giggles and laughter filled the room. "That's so sweet." Pamela whispered.

Summer grabbed the microphone. "I like a man with taste. The answer is yes." She said, with that radiant smile of hers. People applauded at her answer, but the room's tender mood was interrupted by Dr. K.

"I'm not sure I understand the relevance of the question. It makes the endless queries into Ranger Red's hair or Ranger Pink's clothes seem pertinent and insightful by comparison."

 _Ouch, Doc. They're just kids._

"I'm sorry." The little boy said. "It's just... Ranger Yellow seems so nice. Have you always been this nice, Miss Yellow?"

Summer seemed to be lost in her own world, because she wouldn't answer. Pamela thought of touching her arm to bring her back to reality, but the sound of the alarms startled her, and she let out a little shout.

Dr. K left the stage to check the situation in one of the computers, and Pamela and the boys followed her. "Some kind of sonic interference caused a momentary breach in the shield." Pamela heard the doctor say as she left with her teammates. They took Flynn's hummer and arrived quickly at the scene. Corinth officers were helping civilians escape the attack bot and the grinders.

The attack bot looked like a bunch of speakers stuck together. "Just a typical day of work!" Pamela yelled as she kicked a grinder with her boot. She had gotten used to fighting in heels, which made her feel like a magical girl. After several minutes of punching grinders and helping the officers leave the streets, she met up with the others to morph.

"Ready?!" Scott shouted.

"Ready!" The others confirmed.

"RPM! GET IN GEAR!"

Pamela felt the incredible sensation of turning into a Power Ranger. Her strength increased and the tiredness from the earlier fighting had disappeared.

"Rangers, beware of sonic bombardment cannons." Dr. K warned them as they attacked the robot. The thing nearly destroyed their ears with its sound waves, and they ended up on the floor. Even their blasters were useless against it.

"Rangers, the attack bot has hacked into our radio frequencies. Turn off all comlinks." Dr. K ordered them, but they were all too dizzy to respond.

Summer made a heroic entrance in her bike, and Pamela felt bad for not noticing she hadn't been there. Her motorcycle knocked down the attack bot, and she looked at it without fear. "Do you take requests?"

"I'd like 'Overprotected' by Britney Spears, please." Pamela said sarcastically from the ground as Summer morphed. The Yellow Ranger began fighting the attack bot all by herself while Pamela and the others tried to recover and join her. The blonde used her energy blast against the monster, and after a few seconds of struggle, she succeeded.

 _She's so powerful. I don't think I could take down an adversary by myself._

Pamela and the guys joined Summer, congratulating her. The Pink Ranger combined her weapon with Black and Green, while the Yellow Ranger combined hers with Red and Blue.

"FIRE!" They shouted together. The attack bot was thrown across the city streets and exploded almost immediately. But they all knew the battle wasn't over.

As usual, Venjix sent whatever he used to power his inventions and the robot turned into a giant. _It's Transformers time._

"Rangers, deploy zords." Dr. K instructed. Children's voices could be heard in the background. _I hope they aren't too scared._

"Zords, go!" Summer called out. The primary colors Rangers combined their zords to form the High Octane Megazord. Pamela stood with Dillon and Ziggy as the others tried to use the megazord's deflectors to avoid the attack bot's deadly sound waves.

"Oh, no!" Ziggy lamented when the megazord ended up on the floor.

"Come on, Ziggy, Pamela! Let's get in the game!" Dillon encouraged. He always took the initiative when the three of them were together. They had become quite the trio these past few weeks; getting more comfortable driving their megazord together and merging their skills in battle. Naturally, things were better when all six Power Rangers were together, but Pamela, Dillon, and Ziggy made a great unity.

Pink, Black, and Pink zords joined with the Croc Carrier to form the ValveMax Megazord. They sent laser beams towards the attack bot to lower its shield; giving the other megazord a chance to recover. Pamela pressed a button that sent her Turtle Jeep's shell towards the monster.

"Take that!" She cheered. After damaging the attack bot, her zord's shell returned to its place. Once the High Octane Megazord was back on its feet, the two zords fired their weapons together, neutralizing the threat.

Summer made her way back to the garage on her motorcycle. Pamela drove back with the boys, sitting between Scott and Dillon. Their leader, Flynn, and Ziggy spent the entire ride arguing about the interview. Pamela and Dillon remained silent; at least until she accidentally bumped up against him.

"Sorry." She muttered.

He shook his head. "It's okay."

 _Ugh. Why does he have to look at me like that?_

They exchanged coy smiles, completely unaware that they had made it home. Their teammates' voices became louder again, and they got out of the hummer.

"Well, I'm sorry, but which one of us did they say had the coolest hair?" Scott reminded them as they walked.

"I have cool hair!" Ziggy insisted.

"Aye, but who talks pretty?" Flynn pointed out.

"I talk pretty!" Ziggy persisted.

"Yes, you do." Pamela assured him, and the Green Ranger grinned in return.

"Ah, there you are, finally!" A woman's voice startled Pamela. She was standing beside a man, both dressed in fine clothes. "This must be the help."

 _Wait, what?_

The man threw a cue stick at Dillon, and they all stared at the couple in confusion as he instructed him to polish it. Even Dr. K seemed disturbed by their attitude.

Dillon broke the cue stick in half, and Pamela bit her tongue to contain her laughter.

"Sorry, can I help you two?" The Red Ranger asked. He and Flynn started to argue with the two intruders.

"Wait a minute. I know these guys!" Ziggy whispered in Pamela's ear.

"What do you mean you know them?" She wondered.

"Martin and Claire Landsdown, they're rich, like billionaires!" He explained.

"Wait, Landsdown?" Pamela raised her brows in confusion. "Like Summer?"

Scott and Dillon grabbed the Landsdowns and started to drag them out of the room.

"Where is our daughter?" Mrs. Landsdown demanded.

"Who is your daughter?" Scott inquired.

Summer arrived at the garage, and the Landsdowns sighed in relief. The Yellow Ranger stared at her parents in confusion. "Mom, dad... what are you doing here?"

The reveal astounded the other Rangers. _Those are her parents? They're so rude!_

The team decided to follow Dr. K to the Ranger room, and leave Summer alone with her folks. It wasn't their place to disrupt their family reunion.

Pamela felt a twinge of jealousy; an emotion that she didn't experience often. Her parents, Dante and Julie Seaver were dead, and have been for a long time. But Summer's parents, even though they seemed like massive snobs, were still alive and able to be with their daughter.

It was hard for her not to be envious of the blonde at the moment. When Summer joined them in the Ranger room, she looked irritated. None of them dared to pry.

"Take a look at what I found in the Boom Bot wreckage." Flynn told them. The attack bot's remains were scattered all over the table. "It's a self-destruct switch, but it was activated from inside the shield."

"What does that mean?" Summer asked.

"It means that the Boom Bot was not the ultimate objective of Venjix's attack." Dr. K clarified, typing on one of the computers. "It was a decoy. That is why the Boom Bot was so easily defeated." She left her seat to stand in front of the big screen.

"Easy? That was not easy!" Pamela and Ziggy blurted out at the same time.

Dr. K didn't pay attention to their claims. "This is the point of entry on the Boom Bot." She pointed at the red circle on the computer. "And this is the direction it took into the city." The doctor showed the trail. "I've had Colonel Truman scan for any unusual activity in the opposite direction, and we have a hit." The doctor typed something rapidly, and what it looked like a storage room appeared on the screen. "A break-in at Corinth City central bank vaults."

The Rangers stormed out of the Ranger Room, and Pamela noticed that the Landsdowns had been standing outside the door.

 _They look troubled. I wonder if they need something._

"Rangers be advised. Security data indicates the intruder is still within the perimeter of the bank." Dr. K's alert echoed in their ears.

She was right to sound alarmed. Tenaya 7 was the bank robber.

 _Oh, hell no. Not her._

"FBI! Put your hands in the air!" Pamela snorted with laughter at her own joke. "I've always wanted to say that!"

"Can I borrow that to be one of my one-liners?" Ziggy asked.

"Sure thing!"

"Guys, we need to focus here!" Scott reprimanded them.

The five of them circled the human looking attack bot. She hadn't been around in a while, and Pamela was worried about facing her again.

"I love a good challenge." Tenaya stated as they jumped her. "But it looks like I'll have to settle for you guys instead." She pushed Scott out of her way, and their leader ended up on the floor. Tenaya grabbed Ziggy by the arms, and used his weapon against Dillon. The Black Ranger took a big hit, and Pamela went to his aid.

"Not so fast!" Tenaya grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her against Flynn. Pink and Blue helmets knocked together, and they both cried out in pain. Ziggy went to pick up his weapon, and Scott rejoined the battle.

"Nitro Sword!" The Red Ranger attacked Tenaya, quickly joined by Flynn and Ziggy. Pamela tried to help Dillon get back on his feet, but the impact had been rough.

Pamela caressed Dillon's shoulders to help ease the ache. "Go help the others!" He grunted.

Tenaya managed to throw Scott against a rail of metals, and Flynn landed on a piece of wood. Ziggy tried his best to avoid her punches, and Pamela ran to help him. She grabbed Tenaya by two of her braids, which she didn't take kindly.

"How dare you touch my hair!" Tenaya growled, punching Pamela in the stomach. She did the same thing to Ziggy, and they both collapsed from the pain.

"Leave my friends alone!" Pamela heard Summer said. _Finally._ Fighting Tenaya had been difficult and exhausting. Summer was their last hope.

Pamela tried to keep her eyes open to witness the fight, but she felt sore everywhere.

 _I have to get up. I have to get up. I have to get up._

Summer could hold her own like no other. Pamela saw her giving Tenaya a taste of her own medicine, and the Pink Ranger wished she could fight like the Yellow Ranger did.

Moments later, Pamela managed to stand up, and so did the others. Tenaya left the scene cursing; the box she had stolen had been empty.

"What did she want?" Pamela asked Summer.

"Something that my parents have." The blonde replied.

Back at the garage, things were tense. The Landsdowns were begging Summer to fulfill some promise she'd made, but their daughter wasn't having any of it. Dillon seemed to be even more disgruntled than she was.

"That's enough!" He screamed, striking the table.

"Dillon!" Scott stood in front of him to calm him down. "That's Summer's family!"

"I don't care who they are!" Dillon objected. "No one comes in here and tells Summer what to do."

 _Woah, where is all this anger coming from?_

Pamela made a face, and Ziggy gave her a questioning look. She averted her eyes from him, and returned her gaze to Dillon.

"Listen, that's between her and them." Scott argued, keeping Dillon away from the Landsdowns. "If she's promised them that she'll, I don't know, go to school or go back home..."

"Or get married." Summer interrupted him.

Pamela's jaw dropped. _What the hell?_

"Wait, what?" Scott was dumbfounded by that statement, and Dillon looked even more pissed than before.

"I promised them I'd get married." Summer said, her doe-eyes filled with misery. She turned to look at her parents.

"Honey, I'm sorry." Mrs. Landsdown said.

"But it's time you remembered who you really are." Mr. Landsdown added, holding a black diamond.

 _That must be the thing Tenaya was after. But why would Venjix want some old piece of jewelry?_

That night, Pamela wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep. "How come you're getting married?" She asked her roommate. "How old are you, 20?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter to my parents." Summer replied. "I won't do it."

"Do you even know the guy they want you to marry?"

"Yeah, I've met him a couple of times. His name is Chaz Winchester."

"Oh, I think I slept with a guy named Chaz once." Pamela laughed at Summer's horrified reaction. "Relax, it wasn't yours." She assured her. "I thought Dillon was going to rip your parents' heads off."

Summer chuckled. "Yeah, he was really angry, wasn't it?"

Pamela nodded in response, not knowing what else to say.

"Do you like him?" Summer interjected.

 _Fuck._ "I..." She started. "I think he's really hot. That's all."

"It's okay if you like him, you know? And it's okay if you don't want to tell me." Summer murmured. Pamela nodded once again, and they didn't speak anymore after that.

The next day, things became a lot clearer. It turned out that the reason why Summer's parents were so hell-bent on having their daughter get married was the lack of money in their bank accounts. Mr. and Mrs. Landsdown were broke and needed Summer to marry into a rich family if they wanted to be wealthy again. They also wouldn't give her the diamond unless she went through with the wedding.

The fact that two parents were using their own child to get money was outrageous. The Landsdowns were acting like 19th century people. But, as awful as they were, Pamela still envied Summer.

 _I miss my mom and dad..._

She had never been able to describe her true emotions to anyone. Emptiness was never going to leave her alone; that was a fact. She had not only lost her parents, but her closest friends as well. It just wasn't fair.

Pamela grabbed her recently acquired phone and looked for Duncan's number. She'd never called back any of her previous one-night stands before, but there was no time to go outside and meet anyone else. Summer had asked her to help with the wedding preparations, so she didn't have a lot of time. She ended up meeting him in an empty alley.

"We should go back to my car, you know?" He said in that thick accent of his, greeting her with a kiss. "We could get caught in here."

"Don't spoil the fun." She said, kissing him back. "This is the perfect place."

Their tongues met, and Pamela moaned in his mouth as they made out hungrily. Duncan grabbed her bottom and turned her around. She lifted her skirt up and placed her hands on the wall, and he pulled down her fishnets and thong. Shortly after, Pamela heard the familiar sound of a condom being unwrapped. Duncan wrapped his strong hands around either side of Pamela's waist to keep her steady, fingers digging into her skin.

Their moans echoed through the alley as Duncan took Pamela from behind. He planted kisses all over her neck, whispering her name. But Pamela wasn't thinking about him. _Dillon. I want Dillon._

Pamela came long before him, and Duncan continued to plunge into her until he joined her in the ecstasy of release. The two of them were spent, drowsy and breathless. Duncan withdrew himself from Pamela and went to dispose of the condom while she adjusted her clothes in place.

"That was exquisite." Duncan said, zipping his pants. "I can't believe we just did it on the street."

He offered to drive her back to headquarters, which she reluctantly agreed. Duncan spent the whole ride running his hand up and down Pamela's back; occasionally stealing a few kisses and playing with her ponytail.

She welcomed his touch, but decided to let him know her intentions once they made it to the garage. "I hope you understand this was just a necessary booty call. I don't want anything else."

"I do understand." Duncan chuckled, ogling her with his piercing blue eyes. "I don't want anything else either."

Pamela touched his face, admiring his dashing features one last time before they kissed goodbye.

It shamed her to think she had used a stranger twice for her own purposes, but it also wasn't her fault that he had agreed to it. Their encounters had helped her relieve some tension, even if she had been picturing somebody else the entire time.

 _I'm so fucking stupid. I need to get over this silly crush on Dillon._

Flynn was thrilled to be left in charge of the wedding reception. Summer was going to marry Chaz Winchester III in their garage; not exactly the most romantic location, but the Landsdowns couldn't afford anything else.

Ziggy was delighted about the whole thing because he loved the idea of having a rich friend. Pamela didn't know exactly what she was supposed to feel. She'd never been to a wedding before. The idea of dressing up for one was fun, but Summer was a softhearted person who deserved to marry somebody she loved. Why couldn't her parents just give her the diamond? Was money really more important to them than Corinth's safety?

"Oh, this isn't happening!" Flynn protested. "I can't get hold of any bands! The wedding is ruined!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Flynn." _Said the biggest Drama Queen in the world._ "The wedding will be fine." Pamela promised him. She and Ziggy had been decorating the garage while Flynn had been talking on the phone for hours like a Hollywood agent.

"We need music! I need music!" The Blue Ranger insisted.

Pamela rolled her eyes. _Well, time to do something useful._ "I could sing if you'd like."

"You can sing? Are you any good?" Ziggy asked.

"Well, I've never gotten any complaints during karaoke night." Pamela replied.

Flynn sighed. "All right. I'm trusting with this, Pamela."

Summer's husband-to-be seemed more interested in staring at his own reflection than the wedding itself, and his parents were no better. Brie, the 'friend' that had left Summer to die during Venjix's attack, was bombarding Dr. K with questions. _I think I feel bad for the Doc._ Pamela made her way to the Ranger room to dress up along with Summer.

The pink dress she had chosen was perfect to show off her cleavage, and the pink high heels were just as pretty. She had gotten used to walking, and even fighting in those types of shoes. Summer did Pamela's hair while the Pink Ranger put on some makeup. She completed her look with a pair of pink and silver earrings, and the bracelet and necklace Ziggy had given her.

Summer looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress, and her blonde locks shined to perfection. _Anyone would be lucky to have her as a wife._

"Flynn told me you're going to be singing." Summer said, applying some blush. Her face looked comely. "That's very kind of you."

"No problem. I'm not going to be winning any awards, but I'll try my best." Pamela joked, cracking a grin.

Summer returned the smile. "I saw you leaving the garage earlier. Where did you go?"

 _Oh, shit. Should I tell her the truth?_

"I went to meet up with a guy I met." She gulped. _Whatever, it's not like I did anything wrong._

"I see." Summer blushed, understanding what Pamela had meant. "Is he your boyfriend?"

Pamela snorted. _She's going to think I'm a big slut._ "Hell, no. I only met him a couple of days ago."

"Hey, it's okay." Summer promised. "I won't judge you. You know you're my bridesmaid, right?"

 _She sounds like Jenny._ "Thank you, Summer. I'm honored." _Maybe she truly considers me a friend._ "Listen... I think you're a really good person, and you deserve to be happy."

"You deserve to be happy too, Pamela."

 _Do I?_ Pamela squeezed Summer's hand in gratitude.

The Pink Ranger left the Ranger room, taking two shots of vodka before she positioned on the stage. _Nothing like a bit of liquid courage._ It had been so long since Pamela had a drink.

"Is the microphone ready?" She asked Ziggy, who looked quite good in a suit.

"Yes, it is, and..." The Green Ranger quietened when he took in her appearance. "Wow, you look wow." He stammered. "And you're wearing my present!"

Pamela smiled, biting her lip. "Yeah, thanks." She noticed Flynn running towards the stage. He was wearing a kilt; showing his Scottish pride. _He's got some nice looking legs._

"Are you ready, Pamela? Summer is about to walk down the aisle!" The Scot said, out of breath. "You look lovely, lass."

"Thank you." Pamela tittered. "I'm ready." Ziggy handed her the pink microphone, and both he and Flynn took their seats. She noticed Scott and Dillon in the audience. The leader of the Power Rangers looked handsome as ever, and the Black Ranger... _If I didn't want him before..._

Pamela held the mic with gentle hands as she began to sing. _Come on, Pam._ _You can do this._

 _"You set my soul at ease_

 _Chased darkness out of view_

 _Left your desperate spell on me_

 _Say you feel it too_

 _I know you do_

 _I've got so much more to give_

 _This can't die, I yearn to live_

 _Pour yourself all over me_

 _And I'll cherish every drop here on my knees_

 _I wanna love you forever_

 _And this is all I'm asking of you_

 _10,000 lifetimes together_

 _Is that so much for you to do?_

 _Cause from the moment that I saw your face_

 _And felt the fire in your sweet embrace_

 _I swear I knew_

 _I'm gonna love you forever"_

Her eyes fixated on Dillon every now and then, who wouldn't stop staring at her. The whole audience seemed to be enamored with her voice, but Pamela only wanted to know what Dillon was thinking. Summer finally made her big entrance; taking her father's arm, and covered in her veil. The guests stood up, and Pamela continued to sing. Her cheeks were now the same color of the lip gloss she was wearing.

The song eventually came to an end, and the garage erupted in applause. Pamela's heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she realized Dillon had left his seat to approach her.

He was wearing a white shirt under his RPM jacket; his bad boy persona never leaving him. "I'm here to get you off that stage." He said, checking her out.

"Really?" Pamela teased. "How polite of you." She let out a gasp when she tripped over her own feet. _Ugh, I've never tripped before! Why did it have to happen now?_

Dillon saved her from humiliation when he caught her; his arms wrapping around her back. Pamela held onto his shoulders; feeling his breath against her lips.

"My hero." She teased, feeling her face grow hot. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said in the same playful tone. "I'm getting used to having you in my arms."

 _He must be referring to the time where I fainted and he had to carry me. Ugh, I wish I could remember that!_

Pamela and Dillon made their way back to the ceremony, and the Pink Ranger gave Summer's father an apologetic smile. Mr. Landsdown clearly didn't appreciate their interruption.

Scott, in all his polite glory, began telling the story of the day Summer had rescued him after he had lost his brother in the battle of Corinth.

"Your daughter saved my life after that day, sir. Summer's been saving all of us since that moment." Scott voiced fondly.

"That was the same day she gave this to me." Mr. Landsdown said, pulling the diamond from his pocket.

"What a coincidence. Today's the day I'm gonna take it from you." A dangerous voice disrupted the emotional moment. _Fucking Tenaya._

Tenaya 7 kicked Pamela and her teammates for the millionth time these past two days. She took the diamond out of Mr. Landsdown's hand, and kicked him as well. Mrs. Landsdown caught her husband before he hit the ground.

An attack bot and a army of grinders invaded the garage, and Tenaya smiled in triumph. "The Landsdown Diamond is ours. And now, your city is doomed to the ashes of extinction. Oh, by the way, love the dress, Ranger Yellow." The brunette villainess ripped off Summer's veil. Except that wasn't Summer.

"Thanks." Dr. K said with a smug smile. "I would say I look positively radiant."

The actual bride arrived at the scene like Wonder Woman, kicking Tenaya while wearing an expensive wedding dress. "No caretaker would put the cake next to a recycled-motor oiled bin."

 _I guess this has turned into a Red Wedding. I hope we don't end up like the Starks._ The six rangers began to fight, while the civilians ran away from the grinders. Chaz hid behind his parents, and Brie's high-pitched screams almost left Pamela deaf.

Summer got the diamond back, and used Chaz's sword to defend herself. Flynn was desperately trying to save the cake, and Ziggy tried to stop the attack bot from messing up his suit. Pamela would have laughed if she hadn't been busy fighting grinders.

Pamela wanted to help out Summer, who was fighting Tenaya all by herself once again, but there were too many robots around her. The Yellow Ranger did well until Tenaya seized her and used the diamond to power the attack bot. "You're too late. The Camera Bot's primary weapon is now operational." Tenaya spat. Summer freed herself from their enemy's hold, and gave her one lethal kick.

Pamela gathered with the other Rangers. Now that the attack bot was a giant, they needed to morph.

"Summer, Pamela..." Dillon started. "You both look, uh..." He cleared his throat.

"Well, you look..." Scott didn't seem to be able to find the right words either.

"I can't believe we left these tough guys speechless." Pamela joked with Summer, patting her shoulder.

"I know, it's crazy!" Summer giggled, turning to the boys. "Don't you guys think we look radiant?"

"Yes." They all said in unison.

Something dangerous was happening here, and not just Venjix and its minions. _These are my friends. I didn't want to admit it, but these are my friends. I didn't want to feel it... but I do._

Summer prepared her morpher, and Pamela did the same. "Ready?" The blonde shouted.

Pamela braced herself for the transformation. "Ready!"

The others looked for their morphers awkwardly and joined the girls. "Ready!"

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

They summoned their two megazords to fight the Camera Bot. The attack bot pointed its lighting at them, but they averted the strike by jumping and exposing the monster to the sun. The ValveMax Megazord fired a blast at the monster, while the High Octane Megazord sliced it.

Back at the garage, Summer spoke to her parents and was happy to hear they had a change of heart. There wasn't going to be a wedding. The Winchesters were outraged, but Mrs. Landsdown spoke about how proud they were of their daughter, and didn't need another family's money.

Pamela was glad that the Landsdowns had seen the light, but the stab of jealousy returned stronger than ever. _My parents will never see me fight against evil, or get married. Not that anyone would ever want to marry me._ She noticed there was a bottle of vodka still intact in one of the tables.

Summer's mom threw the bouquet, and Brie ran to pick it up, but Pamela shoved her out of the way before the girl could crush the cake. The flowers ended up in Pamela's hands.

"That's not fair! Brie whined, walking away. "I'm leaving!"

 _Good riddance._

"Looks like I have another wedding to plan!" Flynn cheered.

"Oh, no way, Flynn!" Pamela lifted her arms in protest. "Open your own agency if you want to plan more weddings!" They all laughed together, and Pamela noticed that Dr. K was still wearing a dress, and holding a violin. "Dr. K! Why didn't you tell me you played the violin? I could have sung a lot better with your music!"

"I didn't think it was necessary." The doctor shrugged.

"Well, I think you did a wonderful job on your own, Pam." Summer acknowledged. The Landsdowns were waiting for her by the door. "Thank you." Pamela gave her two thumbs up, and Summer left to say farewell to her parents.

Dr. K made her exit as well; probably ready to get out of that wedding dress and return to her science stuff. Pamela was left alone with the boys.

"Your performance was perfect!" Ziggy complimented her, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, it was incredible." Scott nodded in agreement.

"You have an enchanting voice." Flynn added.

"Thanks, guys." Pamela blushed at their kind words. They were all staring at her fondly, and she nearly sobbed.

"I really liked it." Dillon finally spoke. _Oh my God, is he nervous? Because that would make two of us._

"Thank you, Dillon." She said, admiring his appearance.

"I only feel bad because we didn't get to dance!" Flynn mused. "Maybe we can have another party in the future that's not a wedding. Halloween sounds good..."

 _Great. More parties mean more alcohol._

It had been a long day; so they'd all gone to bed early. Pamela hid the bottle of vodka she'd seen earlier in her nightstand. _I might need it later._ Her mind continued to analyze the most recent events over and over. Suddenly, her phone buzzed, and she found she had received a text from Duncan. It read:

 ** _Saw on the news that Venjix's minions crashed your friend's wedding. Glad you were there to give them a lesson. You looked fantastic in that little dress, by the way. Will you be wearing it the next time I see you?_**

Pamela squinted at the screen, and the phone buzzed again before she could even think of a reply. Summer remained asleep, covered in blankets.

 ** _That's if you want to see me again, of course._**

Pamela bit her lip. _Crap, what do I do?_ Was Duncan interested in becoming her fuck buddy?

Duncan was hot, that was undeniable. But she wanted Dillon. She couldn't stop thinking about Dillon. _But I can't have Dillon, can I?_

Her inner struggle began to quieten when her lips met the taste of alcohol.

* * *

 _I didn't make the sex scene in this chapter super detailed because it wasn't between the main couple. I realize the romance is happening slowly, but please be patient! There will be plenty of Pamela/Dillon moments in the future, I promise._

 _You can look at Pamela's wedding attire on the Pinterest board. Oh, and her tattoo is also there. My shallow self pictures Richard Madden as Duncan._

 _The song Pamela sang on this chapter is "I Wanna Love You Forever" by Jessica Simpson._

 _Next time: Flynn struggles with his suit, more pop culture references, and Pamela remembers her friends_ _._


	16. Chapter 16

I'm really sorry for the three months delay. So many things got in the way of my writing (school, family drama, lack of inspiration, my computer crashing), but I think this chapter turned out okay.

Can you guys believe that Gemma will be appearing on Ninja Steel? I'm so excited.

Please review!

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

Pamela spent her Saturday recovering from Summer's canceled wedding and a massive hangover. Summer had to go to her parents' house to help them with their resumes, so she had the room all to herself. She took the opportunity to sketch Scott, Flynn, and Dr. K; in order to have her Ranger team drawings set complete. Once she was finished, she grabbed one of the pictures she had with her friends.

The photo had been taken five months ago, after one of Harriet's dance recitals. Jenny had her arm wrapped around Alex, and Harriet was kissing Pamela's cheek.

 _"_ _You're crushing me!" Alex protested, giggling. "How can somebody so tiny be so strong? It's like you're Buffy Summers or something!"_

 _"_ _Well, I am blonde!" Jenny pointed out, not letting go of Alex. "Now stop protesting so they can take our picture."_

 _"_ _Calm down, children." Harriet said, rolling her eyes. "Let's make our own pose, Pam."_

 _"_ _What do you want to do?" Pamela asked. "I don't feel like making silly faces, Har."_

 _"_ _Okay, fine." Harriet said, dramatically slumping towards Pamela and wrapping her arms around her._

 _Pamela gasped in surprise when Harriet kissed her on the cheek, but let out a sigh of relief when the picture was finally taken._

 _"_ _Now that this is over, can you teach me some of those moves?" Jenny asked._

 _"_ _Oh, screw that. We're gonna get some food!" Alex said, nudging the blonde._

 _"_ _Fine! But let's not go to Annie's... the food there sucks."_

 _"_ _Hey! Pam and I work there!"_

 _"_ _Like I said..." Harried whispered in Pamela's ear. "They're like children."_

 _Pamela smirked as they walked together to find a restaurant._

The Pink Ranger sighed, putting the photo and her sketchbook away. That night had been a lot of fun. Her friends had managed to make her laugh, and she had met an interesting girl.

 _"_ _Yo, that waitress is totally checking you out." Alex whispered._

 _It was true. The tall, blonde, gorgeous waitress had been stealing glances from her all night long. Every time their eyes met, she would smile sweetly._

 _"_ _No, she isn't." Pamela said, even though she knew her friend was right._

 _"_ _Don't play dumb." Jenny said._

 _"_ _Okay, fine, she is." Pamela admitted, biting back a smile. "But I don't wanna leave you guys."_

 _"_ _We're cool." Harriet, raising her hands. "Go have fun with the blonde."_

 _"_ _The blonde that's not me." Jenny pouted. "That stings, Pam."_

 _Alex snorted. "Get in line, Chicken Little."_

 _"_ _You guys are weirdos." Pamela scoffed, standing up. "Bye, bye."_

Pamela laughed at the memory. She missed the good-natured banter of the girls. They always encouraged her when it came to hookups. And thank God they did.

 _"_ _Oh, fuck, Mandy." Pamela moaned loudly as she came. She laid there, chest rising up and down from being so out of breath. The blonde reporter moved from between the brunette's legs, up to her lips. They kissed softly until Mandy started to run her fingers up and down Pamela's chest._

 _"_ _You still haven't told me what this means." Mandy mumbled, staring at the snake rose tattoo._

 _"_ _It means I was drunk." Pamela said breathlessly. "No big deal."_

 _Mandy nodded, wrapping her arms around Pamela. "I feel like such a cradle robber. I was just supposed to serve you."_

 _Pamela snorted, gently pinching the blonde's nipples. "Oh, you did serve me. But don't call me a kid, I'm 18... and 23 isn't that old."_

 _"_ _Wow, thanks." Mandy groaned in response, unable to focus under Pamela's touch. "Sing something for me, please? I overheard you with your friends, and you have a soothing voice."_

 _Pamela rolled her eyes and began to sing as she played with the older woman's breasts. "Oh Mandy... well you came and you gave without taking... but I sent you away, oh Mandy... and you kissed me and stopped me from shaking…_ _and I need you today, oh Mandy..."_

 _"_ _Barry Manilow? Seriously?" Mandy barked a laugh._

 _"_ _It's a pretty song with your name!"_

 _"_ _It's an ancient song with my name! But I forgive you because you're so lovely."_

 _Pamela smiled and kissed her forehead. "I should go. I have to work tomorrow."_

 _"_ _Right." Mandy said, watching Pamela get dressed. "You're in the waitressing business too. Tough life, uh?"_

 _"_ _Yeah." Pamela murmured. "I don't think I could be good at anything else."_

 _"_ _Oh, don't give me that." Mandy frowned, giving Pamela one last kiss. "You can do anything you want."_

"But what if what I want is for everything to stop?" Pamela whispered, returning to reality. That had been her thought at the time. "Good thing I didn't say that to her out loud." _I wonder if she's still alive. Probably not..._

Perhaps it made her pathetic, but needing to feel something other than grief wasn't a crime. All she wanted was to stop hurting, but things kept getting more difficult to handle. Even if they somehow defeated Venjix, who was to say things would be better? They were living in a domed city where everything was programmed. There had to be more out there... right? Other people, other places. Corinth couldn't be the only endgame.

Pamela knew that getting attached to the other Rangers was a terrible idea, but there was no turning back now. Even Dr. K had grown on her, despite her coldness and their minimal interactions. _I'm so fucking weak._

She decided to text Duncan, and let him know there wouldn't be a third time. Better to let him go on with his life than to string him along. It wouldn't sit well with her conscience to keep using the guy to get over Dillon, and she didn't really like him all that much anyway.

 ** _Had a lot of fun with you, but it can't happen again. Sorry._**

He responded 15 minutes later, and Pamela was surprised at how well he took it.

 ** _I understand. I had fun with you too. Take care._**

When Summer made it back to the garage, they finished cleaning up the mess Tenaya and her minions had made. The boys helped too, and Pamela was surprised to find out Ziggy was a formidable cleaner.

On Sunday morning, a woman stood before her... and this one was young, scary and a complete mystery.

"As promised, I will now open the floor to any and all questions regarding the Ranger bio-series suits, vehicles, and hardware." Dr. K announced.

It was true. The young doctor had promised to answer all of their doubts, but not before going into another scientific oral presentation, which Pamela didn't pay attention to. She was never going to understand science, or Dr. K's advanced vocabulary.

Pamela exchanged looks with her teammates. _Is this a test? What am I supposed to ask?_ She was sitting between Flynn and Dillon, not knowing what to do.

"Anyone?" Dr. K insisted. "Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Scott, Summer, Flynn, and Ziggy raised their hands nervously; Ziggy even raised two hands. _I bet Dillon does have questions, but is too proud to ask._

Scott stood up first. _Always the fearless leader._ Pamela gave him two thumbs up, and the Red Ranger grinned in return.

Dr. K stopped Scott the moment he mentioned the zords' eyes, claiming not to know what he was referring to.

"What do you mean 'what eyes'?" Scott wondered, pointing at the screen. "Right there. The front of our zords."

Dr. K sighed. "They're not eyes. They're optical field scanning sensors for your cockpit's A2D display."

"Well... they look like, well... they look like..." He started.

"They look like eyes." Dillon intervened. Pamela was surprised to hear him speak.

"Big, googly, anime eyes." Ziggy added.

"Oh, you watch anime?" Pamela asked, her enthusiasm peaking.

"Of course!" Ziggy replied, smiling widely. "My favorite is..."

"Next!" Dr. K interrupted them. Pamela felt petrified under the girl's glare. _Does Dr. K like Ziggy or...?_

"We'll talk about this later." The Green Ranger assured her, standing up to approach their mentor. "Sometimes when I morph I can't help but notice this gigantic explosion right behind me for no apparent reason."

 _Shit. I thought I was the only one who noticed that._

"I assume you're referring to the residual energy runoffs that are sometimes necessary to clear the suit's biofield channels during the morph." Dr. K said, indignant.

"I'm referring to the six-story-high fireballs, like that one, right there!" He pointed at the screen. "Now, could that happen to me in the kitchen or something?"

"Why would you want to morph in the kitchen?" Pamela wondered.

"I just look cooler cooking on my suit!" Ziggy clarified.

Dr. K was clearly running out of patience. "Next!"

It was Flynn's turn now. "When we morph, is it absolutely 100% necessary that we scream, 'RPM, get in gear', at the top of our lungs?"

"Uh, that's a very good point." Ziggy agreed. "Uh, some of us out there are trying to impress chicks. Uh... it's definitely not helping."

Summer rolled his eyes at his sexist response, and Scott tried to hide his smile.

"Dude, are you serious?" Pamela asked, facepalming. _Does he not realize he doesn't need to try to hard to get a girl? He's funny, cute and a Power Ranger!_

Dr. K forced out a breath of air. Pamela could tell answering all these questions was painful for her. "The vocal call-out is a voice-recognition safety and security measure."

"Well, maybe we could have a bit of a change." Flynn suggested.

"A change?"

"Uh, like, um... 'Rangers to the rescue' or, um, "Ranger Justice Unleashed'?" The Blue Ranger offered.

Pamela burst into laughter. Her eyes locked with Dillon's, and he smiled a little. She blushed and her focus deflected back to the Q&A.

"Justice is an abstract ideological concept." Dr. K stated. "We deal with tangible realities, not justice. You want justice... read a comic book. Next!"

Pamela found her response a little harsh, but not surprising. Flynn appeared to be profoundly lost in his own bubble, because Summer had to pinch him in order to make him react.

"Ouch!" He whined. "Was that really necessary, lass?"

"Yes, it was." Summer replied unapologetically. The Scot returned to his seat, and Dillon gave him a small pat on the back.

"I just have one simple question... what does RPM mean?"

"I'm surprised none of you had asked this before." Dr. K commented. "It means Racing Performance Machines."

"Oh, I think that name suits us." Summer concurred.

"But I still think we should change the vocal call-out." Ziggy barged in. "Maybe something like 'Here are the world's saviors' or-"

The alarm cut off whatever Ziggy was about to suggest. "I hate it when that happens." The Green Ranger shook his head, and the other Rangers left their seats.

"A shield breach." Dr. K said. "Industrial district, zone seven."

"Hey, can I ride with you?" Pamela asked Dillon as they ran towards the vehicles.

"Of course."

They got into his car together and sat in silence for a few minutes. Dillon kept his eyes on the road, driving at full speed. _Typical._

"You didn't ask the doc anything." Pamela said suddenly. Dillon turned to look at her, and she blushed slightly.

"Neither did you."

Pamela shrugged. "I just didn't know what to ask."

"Same." Dillon said. "Your hair..." He trailed off and returned his eyes to the front.

"Oh?" She looked down at her braids. "Yeah, it's been a while since I wore it like this."

"It looks nice." He said approvingly.

"T-thanks." _Fuck, since when do I stutter?_

It was frustrating for Pamela to be smitten with Dillon. There was a difference between flirting with a stranger, and mooning over someone she considered a friend. The situation reminded her of the days where she had feelings for Harriet, and the regret she carried for not acting upon them. But the comparison vanished once she recalled that the only thing Dillon and Harriet had in common was that they were both attractive people she could never have.

When they finally made it to the district, Tenaya and her minions were hurting Corinth officers and destroying everything around them.

"It looks like we're right on time." Scott declared as the Rangers gathered to fight.

"Attack!" Tenaya ordered the grinders. "I can't let these rainbow soldiers screw this up!"

"Bring it on!" Pamela shouted, bracing herself for the fight. One grinder tried to tear up her skirt, but she kicked it in the head with her right leg. Another grinder hit her back with its screwdriver, so she turned around and pushed it towards the others. Pamela noticed that two of the robots that accompanied Tenaya -Crunch and Shifter- had joined the fight, and she gasped in horror when they blasted Flynn. The Blue Ranger landed on the floor, and she dodged the grinders to get to him. The others did the same.

"Flynn! You okay?" Scott asked, concern in his voice. He and Ziggy helped the boy get up, and Pamela sighed in relief when she saw that Flynn was unharmed. The six of them looked at their enemies, knowing exactly what was coming next.

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

 _Ah, morphing. This will never get old._ Pamela stared at her body, which was now covered by pink spandex. _It's a good thing Dr. K can't read my thoughts._

"There! See that explosion?" Pamela overheard Ziggy say. She tried to focus on fighting the grinders, but they had her surrounded. To make things worse, the attack bot had turned giant, and Tenaya and her sidekicks were attacking Ziggy and Flynn.

"Oh, fuck this shit!" Pamela cursed, removing herself from the grinders' hold, and going to her teammates' aid.

Tenaya seemed to be the type of villain who liked to talk during a fight, because she was ranting while Flynn tried to get out of her hold. "Red is the perfect one, Black is the brooding bad boy, Green is the clown, Yellow is the reformed rich princess, and Pink is the stylish melancholic princess. So what are you supposed to be?" The human looking robot taunted.

"Who the fuck are you calling melancholic?" Pamela protested. _Well, she's not exactly wrong._

"I'm Scottish!" Flynn cried out, shoving Tenaya down the floor. While the two fought, Pamela concentrated on one of the oil bins that was nearby, and used her telekinesis to hit Tenaya with it. The Pink Ranger chuckled and high-fived Flynn when their enemy ended up on the ground.

"You'll pay for that, Ranger Pink!" Tenaya snarled, raising her arm to blast them.

"Invincibility shield!" Dillon appeared in front of them, protecting them from the explosion.

"Thank you." Pamela said softly. _Control your hormones, Seaver._

"No problem!" Dillon said. "Let's take her down!" Pamela jumped, and Dillon caught her with ease, as if they had practiced before. He swung her then, letting her feet kick Tenaya in the head, who dropped back with a shriek. His hands were around her waist as if they were dancing, and in a bizarre way, they were.

"That was so cool!" Pamela cheered, leaping out of Dillon's grasp. She almost hugged him. _Almost._ "Where's Flynn?" She turned to look for the Scot, who stood still in the battlefield.

"Rangers, I'm showing a primary suit malfunction in Series Blue." Dr. K said. "My instruments are showing a time-freeze reversal loop. Rangers, can you confirm?"

"He needs our help!" Pamela told Dillon.

"Not so fast, you two!" Tenaya yelled, landing a kick on Pamela's stomach that sent her across the field.

"Pamela!" Dillon shouted.

"It hurts!" Pamela wailed, trying to get up. She noticed that Scott, Summer, and Ziggy were protecting Flynn from the grinders, and wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Dillon continued to fight Tenaya, but she kicked him hard enough to get him out of her way.

"A touching display of teamwork." Tenaya mocked. "But you just gave me and my attack bot time to make our dramatic exit." With an explosion, she and her minions disappeared. Pamela reunited with the others to check up on Flynn, who woke up of his trance.

"My suit!" He exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Ranger Blue, please return to the base so I can check the status of your series suit." Dr. K ordered. "The rest of you, try to figure out what Venjix wanted in that warehouse."

"I don't understand this." Flynn said, his voice shaky. "Why didn't my suit work?"

"You need to go with Dr. K to get the answers, Flynn." Summer said, touching his arm. "Whatever it is, I'm sure she can fix it."

"You're right." The Blue Ranger said, hurrying to get to his hummer.

Pamela watched him leave, hoping he'd be okay. Flynn was a lively and chatty guy, and she owed him so much. If it wasn't for him, Robin would be dead. He was a real hero. _Not like me._

"We need to cover more ground." Scott said. "Summer, come with me. Dillon, you go with Ziggy and Pamela."

"Alright!" They all replied in unison, splitting up.

Pamela walked side by side with Dillon and Ziggy, wishing this mission would end soon. She didn't want to complain out loud, but being a Power Ranger was exhausting. It made her miss working at Annie's diner, which had been her job since she was 16. Three years working for that woman, and the only time Pamela had ever seen her smile was the day Venjix destroyed the world. _Another acquaintance that's probably dead too._

"We don't even know what we're supposed to be looking for!" Ziggy pointed out all of a sudden.

"Ranger Green, this isn't the time to make complaints." Dr. K reprimanded him.

"Crap! I forgot that you were listening."

"Clearly."

The three of them continued to wander around the city, hoping to find the attack bot. _How can a thing so huge be able to hide so well?_

"I don't think we're ever gonna find this t-!" Ziggy's gripe was cut off when the gigantic robot approached them.

"Holy shit!" Pamela screamed.

"Rangers Black, Green, and Pink, you're patrolling close to what could be Venjix's next target." Dr. K notified them.

"And now you're telling us?" Pamela retorted.

"It's right on top of us!" Ziggy cried, covering his face with his hands.

"Rangers Black, Green and Pink, maintain visual on the target." Dr. K commanded. "Red and Yellow are on the way."

"Better hurry, doc." Dillon said, watching the attack bot's movements. "It looks like that thing just found what it was looking for."

"What happened to Flynn?" Pamela asked.

"Series Blue is currently off-line." Dr. K said. "Rangers Black, Green and Pink, I'm down-morphing the Croc Carrier to you now. If that attack bot succeeds in drilling to the fault line, Venjix will have won."

As soon as they formed the Valvemax Megazord, the attack bot proceeded to assault them with its lava.

"Oh, great! We're gonna burn to death!" Pamela screamed, trying to escape the letal hits.

"Black, Green, Pink, report. Is the attack bot still drilling?" Dr. K asked.

"Uh, no." Dillon replied.

"Yeah, only because it's too busy blasting us with a stream of molten-hot lava!" Ziggy vociferated.

The attack bot was ruthless, and the Ranger suits weren't going to protect them from the heat forever. It was a miracle that they were still standing.

"What do we do?" Ziggy asked, exasperated. "This thing is kicking our asses, and Scott and Summer can't form the megazord without Flynn! And as far as impressing chicks, this probably isn't helping either!"

 _Oh, Ziggy._ "Would you please shut up about chicks? I could give you some tips if you're so worried!"

"Really, Pam?"

"You guys! All this talking isn't helping!" Dillon grumbled.

"Rangers Black, Green and Pink, focus shield power to zone alpha. Red, Yellow, conserve energy bursts." Dr. K instructed.

The strikes kept coming, and Pamela closed her eyes in anguish. Her mind searched for memories to hold on to. _Robin, she's alive, she's doing well, do this for her. Do it for Jenny, Harriet, Alex, wherever they are. Mom, dad... I miss you both so much. Dillon... Dillon, Ziggy, Summer, Flynn, Scott, Dr. K... my team._

Pamela didn't know what to do. If only she could make it stop...

"We're going down!" Dillon yelled. Their megazord collapsed on the floor, and the impact made Pamela cry out in pain.

"You boys okay?" She asked.

"I'm good! No broken bones." Ziggy answered. "Just a bit dizzy."

"I'm fine." Dillon said. "Let's see if we can get back up."

"Don't fear! The cavalry is here!" A familiar voice said.

"Flynn!" Pamela said joyously. The High Octane Megazord had joined the battlefield, which meant they were saved. Despite their struggles, the Valvemax Megazord managed to stand once again, while the other Rangers knocked out the robot and used their Super Saber to slice it.

 _It's over. Thank you, Flynn._

"That was really scary." Pamela said on the way back. "Everything with the megazord... I thought we weren't going to make it."

"But we did." Dillon stated.

"We did." Pamela responded, leaning her forehead against the passenger side window. She covered her mouth to hide a sudden yawn, and her cheeks reddened when she noticed Dillon glancing at her.

"Tired?"

"Exhausted." She said, her tone slightly sheepish. "And hungry, too. I hope there's some of that wedding cake left on the fridge."

He shook his head. "I think Ziggy and Flynn took care of it."

"Damn it!"

The corners of Dillon's mouth turned upwards into a smile, which Pamela returned.

Smiles were not so difficult to produce when the Black Ranger was around. But that didn't mean that her mind was at ease. There were so many things that haunted her, things she couldn't talk about. _I hate this. I hate myself. I just wish mom was here._

Once they made it to the garage, Pamela headed immediately to the kitchen to find something else to eat. _I should go buy some more vodka later._ Ziggy was already there, sitting comfortably and drinking juice.

"Hey, Pamela."

"Hey..." She opened the fridge to grab a sandwich. "Where's Flynn? Is he okay?"

"He dropped me off and went to see his dad." Ziggy answered. "He's fine."

Pamela nodded, taking a sit next to him. "Good."

"Crazy day, right?

"The craziest." Pamela replied, taking a bite out of her sandwich. She felt like her heart was about to burst. _Don't cry. Don't cry in front of him._ But she was drained from the battle and her memories and everything she had lost.

"Listen..." He started. "About that advice that you promised me..."

"Oh, Ziggy." She dropped her sandwich and leaned in to touch his cheek. "You're so adorable." Ziggy's eyes widened, not understanding what was happening, and Pamela embarrassingly started to cry. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I-it's okay..." Ziggy whispered. "Please don't cry." He awkwardly ran one hand through her hair and the other down her back.

They stayed like that for a while, until Pamela gasped and pulled back from him. _What have I done?_

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, wiping her eyes and jumping out of the chair. "Please don't tell the others about this."

"I won't." He promised, his face a mask of concern. "But if you need to talk..."

"I'm okay." _Lies. Lies Lies._ "Thanks." She rushed towards the bathroom, not sparing him another look. _I'm so stupid._

* * *

I'm evil because Pamela slept with someone that wasn't Dillon again (on a flashback, but still). I picture Lauren German as Mandy.

Speaking of fancasts, these are Pamela's friends: Bailey De Young as Jenny, Kylie Bunbury as Harriet, and Lindsey Morgan as Alex. Pamela's aunt Robin is Paget Brewster.

I know things are going painfully slow, but the romance will happen. btw, I can't believe it's been over a year since I posted this story.

 _Next time: More Dr. K, and things get messy for Pamela and Ziggy's friendship._


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! I apologize for the delay. If you like this chapter, please leave me a review.

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 _"Where are you going?" Robin asked Pamela. The older woman was standing outside her niece's bedroom, watching her as she finished getting ready to go out._

 _"To that place I told you about the other day." Pamela responded, putting on a jean jacket. "With Alex."_

 _Pamela knew Robin had some reservations about Alex. While Jenny and Harriet tried to keep Pamela from getting into trouble, Alex would usually encourage the girl's wild side, consequences be damned._

 _"I don't mean to pry in your life, Pammy. I just can't help but worry about you."_

 _"Yeah, well... I don't need anyone to worry about me."_

"Hey, Pam! Are you okay in there?" Ziggy wondered.

Pamela had been locked in the bathroom for the past twenty minutes. She had been avoiding Ziggy all morning; not wanting to explain to him why she had been crying yesterday. The last thing she needed was the rest of the team knowing about her break down. Ziggy was a chatterbox, but she was positive he hadn't told the others.

"Okay, okay..." He said, lowering his voice. "You don't have to tell me what's wrong. But please, come out. We can order a pizza, if that'll cheer you up."

 _Classic Ziggy_. Pamela smiled slighly, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She looked presentable enough, despite the bags under her eyes. Sighing, she opened the door, and found a concerned Green Ranger waiting for her.

"Hey." She whispered, looking down. "Sorry about that."

"You don't have to apologize." The boy assured her. "I totally get it. This gig can be very stressful. Don't tell anyone about this, but I actually cried the first time I drove my zord. Nobody could tell because of my helmet, thank God."

"You're a funny guy, you know that?" Pamela admitted. "I've never known anyone like you."

"Oh, well..." Ziggy started, rubbing the back of his neck. "I try my best."

"I don't think you need to try, though. I think it's in your nature."

He nodded. "Thank you. Now, are you going to tell me what made you cry?"

 _Well, fuck._ Pamela began to walk away from him. "I thought I didn't have to tell you."

"I know I just said that, but I'm really worried." Ziggy insisted, following her. "And it's not a good thing to keep things bottled up because..."

"Ziggy, okay, enough." Pamela raised her hands, stopping in the middle of the garage. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't wanna talk. I won't. So forget it, alright?"

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine, but maybe Summer can help you, or your aunt. You were with her the other day, weren't you?"

"Don't bring up my aunt!" Pamela grumbled. "Let it go!"

Ziggy was taken aback by her harsh response. "If that's what you want." He whispered, turning around. "I'm sorry I pushed too hard."

 _I'm such an idiot._ Pamela watched him walk away. She knew Ziggy was right. She knew that there were many things she needed to say out loud. But she was too much of a coward to actually do it.

"Hey, what was that about?" Dillon questioned. Pamela had been so fixated on Ziggy, that she hadn't noticed his presence. "Why were you yelling at Ziggy?"

"No reason." She lied, readjusting her ponytail with trembling fingers.

"Then why are you crying?"

 _Shit. Shit. Shit. How did I not notice?_ Pamela wiped the tears from her face. "Could you just drop it? I'll apologize to Ziggy later, if that's what you want."

Dillon shook his head. "This isn't about what I want."

Pamela sniffed, looking into his eyes. "Well, why do you care, then? It's not like you're always so open about your feelings, either."

They stood in silence for a few moments, glaring at each other. _I want to know what he's thinking. Maybe I should ask Dr. K if she can create a mind-reading device._ The sound of footsteps scattered their staring contest.

"Hey, guys." Scott intervened. "Ranger room meeting, now. Dr. K has some things to tell us."

Pamela and Dillon followed their leader, neither of them willing to acknowledge what just happened. _I guess we are both too stubborn for our own good_.

In the Ranger room, the Pink Ranger saw Ziggy talking to Flynn. _I hope he's not mad at me. I've never seen him angry, but I was so mean... and he was just trying to help_. Pamela kept her arms crossed, hoping whatever Dr. K had to say would be boring enough to distract her from everything.

"Hi, Pamela" Summer approached her when she walked into the room. "You okay?"

 _I'm getting really tired of people asking me that_. "Where's Dr. K?" Pamela asked, avoiding the blonde's question.

"She'll be with us in a moment." The Yellow Ranger confirmed. "She was playing her violin, and there were tears running down her face. I've never seen her look so sad."

 _Dr. K? Crying? We'll just have to open up a club_. "Fuck, I can't believe it. There are so many things we don't know about her. Like her age; she looks 15 or 16 to me. How did she get so smart, and what about her family?"

"I wonder about those things too." Summer nodded. "But she doesn't like to be asked personal questions."

"I'm on the same boat." Pamela blurted out.

Summer grinned at her admission. "I've noticed."

Pamela let out a chuckle, and Summer playfully patted her arm. Their pleasant moment was interrupted when Dr. K entered the Ranger room.

The young doctor headed towards her computer, and contacted Colonel Truman. Scott's father appeared on the screen, alongside Corporal Hicks. The screen was also displaying several attack bots; one uglier than the other.

"Come on, let's get closer." Summer suggested. Both girls joined their teammates, and waited for their mentor to debrief them.

"What we're looking at is a dramatic spike in the current levels of Venjix technology into the areas of theoretical molecular manipulation, inverse physics, and exponential energy transfer." Dr. K announced.

 _And what the fuck does that mean?_

"Excuse me, Dr. K, but, uh, what are you trying to say, exactly?" Colonel Truman enquired.

 _Good to know I'm not the only one who didn't understand a damn word_.

"What I'm trying to say is that Venjix technology has surpassed our own Ranger biotech hardware capabilities." Dr. K sighed, heading toward a different computer.

"Hold on." Ziggy objected, going after her. Pamela and the others did the same."No, wait a second. Their stuff can't be better than our stuff, can it? I mean, we're the good guys, right?"

"Venjix just keeps getting stronger." Dr. K insisted. "Our Ranger firepower has plateaued since the introduction of the Croc Carrier."

"No, but wait, doctor. What about the new Megazord configuration?" Scott urged. "You said that if we merged all the zords, then it-"

"I can't get it to work." Dr. K interrupted him. "The energy required to make the multizord dispersal viable will require an additional flux overthruster."

"Wait, another one?" Dillon protested. "Where are we supposed to get another one of those things?"

"We're not."

"We cannot build one of those?" Flynn offered.

"We aren't."

"So, are you telling us to just give up, doctor?" Summer asked, staggered.

Dr. K sat on the chair, and the Rangers stood in front of her, not understanding why the doctor was being so pessimistic."I'm telling you I don't have the answers." She responded, annoyance in her tone.

 _And here I thought I was the Debbie Downer of the group. Perhaps this is the reason Dr. had been crying? There's no hope left at all?_

"I thought you were supposed to be some sort of genius." Pamela interjected. "Can't you think of something?"

The room became filled with indistinct complaints from the Rangers, while Dr. K typed in silence.

"Hold it! Hold it!" Ziggy shouted, startling everyone. "Hold everything, people. In times like this, there is one question that needs to be answered." He began, stepping closer to Dr. K. "Are we or are we not the good guys?"

 _What the fuck?_

Dr. K watched him dumbfounded, as if he were a flying elephant. "Tell me." She pleaded. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" Ziggy echoed, his face close to the doctor's.

Pamela's brow furrowed. _Are these two going to kiss or what?_

"Being stupid your whole life."

 _Wait, what?_

"Is it as wonderful as it seems?"

Ziggy didn't even seem to register Dr. K's insult, but Pamela stepped in. "Why are you insulting him? Shouldn't you be trying to find a solution instead of attacking one of-?"

The sound of the alarm startled Pamela. "I fucking hate it when that happens."

"Looks like it's passing the viaduct, heading south." Summer observed.

"Okay, Doc, time to find out how much stronger Venjix really is!" Scott exclaimed.

"RPM, GET IT GEAR!"

The Rangers morphed, and jumped into their respective zords. This Venjix attack bot didn't seem any different from the others. It was just another hideous robot that was ready to cause damage.

"We have a visual on that new Venjix attack bot." Scott confirmed.

"Rangers, prep for Megazord sequencing." Dr. K commanded.

 _Aaah, my favorite part._ The High Octane Megazord and the ValveMax Megazord braced themselves for the battle.

"Hey, doc, I don't see anything special about this tin can." Dillon said, unimpressed.

"Me neither." Pamela agreed.

"Rangers, my sensors are indicating that the attack bot is equipped with a molecular-mirroring system." The doctor revealed.

"Whatever this thing's equipped with, kiss it all bye-bye!" Dillon shouted.

But before they could attack, the robot changed its appearance. _Oh, this can't be good_.

"Rangers, beware." Dr. K warned. "The mirror allows the attack bot to materially reproduce any solid object captured in its optics."

"No, shit." Pamela hissed.

"Oh, right, I, uh... I guess that explains why we have our own blaster pointed at us right now!" Ziggy wailed.

The attack bot let out something that sounded like a roar, and knocked the ValveMax Megazord with a lethal blast. Pamela, Dillon, and Ziggy landed on the floor.

"Looks like Dr. K was right." Ziggy said, standing up.

"Yeah, we're in trouble." Dillon admitted, doing the same. He offered Pamela a hand, helping her get back on her feet. She couldn't see either his or Ziggy's expression, but it was clear that they were just as worried as she was.

Now the attack bot had duplicated the High Octane Megazord's weapons, and attacked the other rangers with no hesitation. Scott, Summer, and Flynn were thrown out of their Megazord.

 _Fuck. What do we do now?_

"Doc, energy levels are down." The Red Ranger reported.

"We've lost the Megazord." Summer added.

For the first time, Dr. K remained speechless. _If she can't tell us what to do, how are we supposed to save the city? The last city..._

The attack bot was mocking them; that was obvious. Pamela was grateful that the thing couldn't speak, but the sounds coming out of it were unpleasant enough to make her cringe. _This piece of garbage is laughing at us_. When it looked like the robot was about to slice the Rangers with its saber, the machine suddenly stopped.

"Hey, what's happening?" Scott asked.

"Stand by." Dr. K urged. "The Venjix attack bot is experiencing catastrophic system failure."

"Why?" The Red Ranger persisted.

"It's completely shutting down." Dr. K clarified.

"I think that means that we won." Pamela concluded.

The Rangers watched as their metallic adversary went back to its original form. The piece of junk collapsed in the middle of the street; it was no longer the threatening Venjix creation that had duplicated their zords.

"Well, that's weird." Flynn laughed.

"I thought you said Venjix's technology was better than ours, doc." Pamela joked. "Glad to see that's not the case."

"Don't let your guard down, Rangers." Dr. K adviced. "I'll send for some officers to retrieve the attack bot, so I can properly analyze it. Please patrol the area in case Venjix sends another one of his creations."

"Copy that, doctor." Scott responded. "Everyone, split up so we can cover more ground."

As usual, Summer and Flynn followed the leader of the Rangers, while Pamela and Ziggy tagged along with Dillon. Pamela still felt embarrassed and ashamed by the way she'd treated Ziggy earlier, but she couldn't continue to allow her emotions to disrupt the mission. _The mission. I've never thought I'd have a mission in my life_. The three of them walked in silence, which was odd, since Ziggy tended to ramble whenever they were walking around Corinth. _Please don't be mad at me, even though I deserve it..._

But the quietness didn't last long. Airborne Venjix drones were approaching the city, which only meant one thing: _Time to drive my pink turtle jeep again!_

Pamela got anxiety whenever she had to get inside her own personal Transformer, but she couldn't object. Countless people were counting on her, and Venjix wasn't going to stop just because she had trouble keeping her hands on the wheel. She took out as many drones as she could, but they kept coming.

"Where are you, doctor? We need something!" Scott yelled.

"Greetings, Rangers." A familiar and unpleasant voice said. "You're now traveling with Tenaya 7. Enjoy the rest of your trip."

"The feminist in me doesn't like calling other women bitch, but since you're a machine, I guess it doesn't matter. Where's Dr. K, you bitch?!" Pamela roared.

Instead of replying, the dark-haired villainess sent them some sort of virus that wouldn't let the Rangers control their zords. In the chaos, Pamela's body slammed against the controls of her zord. "Ouch!" She yelped.

"This is worse than when I crashed against a food truck during my second driving test!" Ziggy cried out.

"I hope the doctor is okay." Summer voiced. "I wonder how Tenaya got in there."

"We'll check on Dr. K as soon as we get out of this." Scott promised.

"I'm right here, Rangers, and reconfiguring your zords." Dr. K reported. "This could take a while."

"Ugh!" Dillon whined. "I don't think my zord could wait a while, doc."

Just when things couldn't seem to get any worse, another Reflex Bot appeared in front of their eyes.

"Fuck! It's got a mirror just like the last one" Pamela cursed. "What happened with Tenaya, doctor?"

"Don't worry about her, she's been contained." Dr. K attested. "Rangers, downloading original Megazord configurations."

"Alright!" Scott uttered. The Red, Yellow, and Blue zords joined together to form the High Octane Megazord once again. Pamela continued to take out drones while her teammates fought the attack bot. Their Super Saber was powerful, but they needed something stronger if they wanted to destroy that piece of hardware.

"Rangers, you're a go for new Zenith Megazord configuration." Dr. K commanded. "Repeat, go for new Megazord."

"Nice!" Ziggy cheered. "Now that's what I like to hear."

"Finally some good news!" Flynn celebrated.

"Ready guys?" Scott checked. "Initiate transformation!"

The most amazing thing happened next. All six zords came together, and Pamela found herself sharing a cockpit with the others. She was now sitting between Dillon and Ziggy in the back of the Megazord, while Scott sat between Summer and Flynn in the front.

"ZENITH MEGAZORD!" The Rangers chanted in unison. They kicked the Reflex Bot with everything they had, destroying the mirror.

"Rangers, energy levels are a go for wheel blaster." Dr. K notified.

"Let's do this!" The Rangers shouted in unison.

Flynn placed the Engine Cell in his steering column, and they all pointed their own at the attack bot to deliver the final strike.

"Wheel blaster ready! Fire!"

The wave of their joined power managed to shatter the machine immediately, and Pamela was glad this battle was finally over. "That was awesome! Bless you, doc!"

"No need to thank me, Ranger Pink. Just doing my job." Dr. K mumbled. Pamela knew their mentor wasn't exactly the most light-hearted person in the world, but it was still strange to hear no excitement in her voice. _We just won, after all..._

Back at the garage, Pamela wasted no time to approach Ziggy.

 _"How much did you drink last night?"_

 _"Who is it?" Pamela mumbled, hugging her pillow. Her head was pounding, like it usually did when a person was experiencing a hangover._

 _"Who else could it be?" Robin_ _reprimanded her. "Go get a shower, and then come eat some breakfast. You have to go to work."_

 _"Ugh." Pamela didn't even bother to open her eyes to look at her aunt's disappointed face. "Do I really have to?"_

 _"You know you do, sweetie. Now get up, and do what you have to do."_

"Hey." She greeted, looking at him directly. _Just say the words, Seaver, just say the words._ Ziggy had an adorable face, and the type of cheeks that you just want to squeeze. But what she liked the most about him was his kindness and humor. _And his hair. I love that spiky hair_.

"H-hey."

He appeared to be restless, and Pamela wanted to slap herself for having treated him so unfairly. "Listen, I'm not good with this, but for you, I'll try." She stammered. "I'm so sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know you were just trying to help, but I don't like talking about my feelings. I know I should, but it's hard. Anyway, I'm really sorry."

To Pamela's surprise, he grinned. "Don't worry about it. I just worry about you sometimes, but that's what friends do, right?"

 _Friends. We're friends. I still can't believe I'm living in a place with people I consider friends._ "Right."

Ziggy opened his arms, and Pamela couldn't hide her smile. She wrapped her arms around him, and he did the same. Pamela stroked his back gently while they held each other. "Thank you, Zig."

"Zig?" He yawned. "I like that."

Their hug lasted a couple of more seconds, until Pamela pulled away. "I'm gonna talk to Dillon now. You should get some sleep before Venjix decides to bother us again."

"I'll go do that." Ziggy nodded, giving her two thumbs up. Pamela snorted, giving the Green Ranger one last admiring look.

The Pink Ranger found Dillon sitting in his car, looking at the gold pocket watch he'd been carrying with him ever since the world ended. Pamela couldn't deny that he was beautiful, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "Hi."

Dillon lifted his gaze, and Pamela gulped. She felt like an idiot, standing there, losing herself in the pool of his brown eyes. _Damn you, Mad Max_.

"What is it?"

"I..." She started. "I just apologized to Ziggy, and I wanted to check if things were okay between us, that's all."

He didn't respond immediately, which caused Pamela's nervousness to grow. _Say something! You're killing me, here!_

"We're fine." He finally said.

Pamela let out a breath of relief. "Good. I'm glad." She was positive that Dillon wanted to be left alone, so she concluded it was best to leave. "See you around."

"Hey, Pamela..."

"Yeah?" She turned around, and blushed at his smug expression.

"I like your ink."

Pamela touched the snake and rose tattoo on her chest, that could be seen thanks to the dress she was wearing under her RPM jacket. _If only he knew how I got this_. "Thank you."

"Ranger Series Pink, please report to the Ranger room." Dr. K called out.

 _What now?_ "I better go see what she wants."

"Yeah." He smirked, clearly amused by her reaction. Pamela rolled her eyes, and ran to the Ranger room.

Dr. K was analyzing something on one of the computer screens. "It appears that you took a serious hit during the battle. I'd like to examine you to see if you have any broken ribs."

"I can't exactly say no, can I?"

"No, you can't."

Pamela pursed her lips. "Well, let's do this." She lay on the bed while the younger girl examined her with the scanner. "It's been a while since I've seen a doctor."

"No, it hasn't." Dr. K frowned. "I've been here the whole time."

"Right." _It's best not to argue with her_. "So, what happened with Tenaya? How did you defeat her?"

"That's irrelevant at this moment." Dr. K claimed. "But if you really want to know, I used my violin to activate a vent fan in the lab. A strong burst of wind filled the room and Tenaya 7 was blown through the hole in the wall."

"Badass." Pamela complimented. "Well done."

Dr. K blinked several times. "I suppose that's your idea of flattery, so thank you."

"No problem. So, am I okay?"

"You're uninjured, Ranger Pink." Dr. K verified, returning to her computer. "You can go now."

Pamela got up, relieved that her body was in one piece. "Thank you, doc. I'm glad you're in charge of us."

Dr. K stopped what she was doing, and Pamela could have sworn the girl's eyes were watery. The Pink Ranger was about to say something, but her mentor resumed her typing. Pamela exited the Ranger room, astonished by what just happened. _She was crying. That poor girl. I wonder what happened to her that made her this way._

* * *

I'm kind of liking writing flashbacks of Pamela's life. I should have thought of it sooner, lol.

 _Next time: Pamela and Summer get closer, and Dillon has an interesting encounter._


	18. Chapter 18

I'm really sorry for the wait. I'll never abandon this story, that I can promise.

I changed the name of the story because I didn't like the previous one. "Little House" is a song by The Fray, which I think describes Pamela perfectly.

Please review!

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

"I still don't get how you manage to fight wearing that." Summer said to Pamela that night, pointing at the black dress that was laying in one of the chairs in their room. "It's so pretty, but not exactly what I'd wear in a fight."

"Says the girl who kicked ass in her wedding dress." Pamela reminded her. It was late, but neither of them was tired. They just sat on their respective beds, facing each other.

"True." Summer grinned, recalling the event. It was still unbelievable to Pamela that the Yellow Ranger had almost gotten married. Fortunately, the girl's parents had come to their senses before it was too late. "So, are you gonna share that bottle of vodka you've been hiding under your bed, or do you plan on drinking it all by yourself?"

Pamela's eyes widened, and she let out a nervous giggle. "You... found it?"

"Yeah, the other day when I was cleaning the room."

The Pink Ranger sighed, knowing there was no way she could say no. Pamela grabbed the bottle from its hiding spot, opened it, and took a sip. "Here." She handed the bottle to Summer. "Your turn."

"How about a drinking game?" Summer suggested, taking the bottle. "Does 'never have I ever' sound good?"

Pamela thought about it for a moment. It had been a while since she'd gotten drunk with someone else. _Well... why not?_ "Sure."

"Never have I ever... been married." The blonde chuckled, offering Pamela the bottle.

The brunette raised her hands. "Oh, hell no. What in the world makes you think I've been married before?"

Summer shrugged her shoulders. "Just teasing."

"Whatever." Pamela rolled her eyes. "Never have I ever been to college."

The Yellow Ranger looked down, and eventually took a sip. "I went to Yale for a bit. Wasn't really my thing."

 _Holy shit_. It was at that moment when she realized how little she knew of Summer. But of course, it shouldn't have been a surprise to her that somebody that came from money would have attended such a prestigious institution. "Yale? That's like one of the best schools in the world. Well, it's probably destroyed now."

"It probably is." Summer lamented. "Never have I ever been in love."

 _Shit_. Pamela and Summer stared at each other. The other girl was clearly waiting for Pamela to take the bottle. _Ugh, what gives?_ The Pink Ranger grabbed the bottle, and drank.

"Okay, now you have to tell me." Summer smiled mischievously. "Is it Ziggy?"

Pamela snorted, not knowing whether or not she was enjoying her newfound sense of humor. "No, it's not Ziggy. It's..." Her tone changed from playful to serious. "I had a thing for a girl who was a friend of mine. She had beautiful brown skin, dark hair and bright brown eyes. She was charming, sweet, talented, sophisticated..." She paused for a moment, admiring the surprised look in Summer's face. "I had a hard time understanding why a popular cheerleader would choose to hang out with a quiet loner like me in high school. And even after we finished high school, she still remained my friend. But I never told her how I felt, because I knew the feeling wasn't mutual. Part of me hopes she's still alive somewhere, as well as my two other friends, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Wow." Summer murmured, stunned by her fellow ranger's confession. "I'm really sorry. I hope you find her someday, so you can tell her."

"Oh, no." Pamela shook her head. "I don't feel that way about her anymore. I haven't for a while, actually. I just..."

"It's okay." Summer cut her off. "What was her name?"

 _Harriet knocked on the door for the third time. "If you don't come out in 10 seconds, I'm going in!"_

 _Pamela sat on the bathroom floor, holding the pregnancy test. She felt so stupid and ridiculous and ashamed. This stuff wasn't supposed to happen to her. She always took precautions._

 _"_ _It's my own fault." She murmured. If she wasn't always so desperate to have skin to skin contact with somebody else, then she wouldn't be on this predicament. But sex was one of her escapes; it had been since she was 15._

 _Now she was 18, and she felt dumber than never before. Harriet had been the only one she'd dared to tell about this. Luckily for her, Robin wasn't home to witness what was happening._

 _When Pamela finally dared to look at the result, she wept. "It's negative! Hallelujah, it's negative!"_

 _Harriet burst into the room, and Pamela could have sworn at that moment that her friend was the most beautiful person she'd ever seen._

 _"_ _You got me all worried." Harriet said, pulling her into a hug. Pamela wrapped her arms around the girl's waist, still sobbing._

 _"_ _I'm going to ruin your shirt." She whimpered._

 _"_ _I don't care." Harriet responded, stroking Pamela's hair. "I have others."_

Pamela blushed at the memory. It had been one of the scariest days of her life, but also one of the sweetest. After her pregnancy scare, Harriet had taken her to the mall, where they had gotten some new clothes. Her friend had always been extremely dedicated to her appearance, and in a way, that's the reason why Pamela had been doing the same. _She would be proud of me. Har always said I needed to show off my body._ "Harriet. Her name was Harriet."

"I'm really sorry." Summer said. "Do you wanna keep playing?"

Pamela shook her head, leaving the now empty bottle in the night-stand. "No, not tonight." She covered herself with the blankets and closed her eyes. Summer turned off the lamp and did the same.

The Pink Ranger tried her best to fall asleep, but failed miserably. _Will this ever go away?_

When the morning arrived, Pamela quickly put on a dress and opened her sketchbook. She stared at the drawings she'd made of Harriet, Alex, and Jenny. She felt stupid for still hoping they were alive somewhere, but if someone as weak as her had survived, then it was only fair that her friends had made it as well, right? _They were always so much stronger than I could ever be._

Summer was still sleeping so soundly, and Pamela couldn't help but feel jealous of her once again. The blonde was the type of girl who didn't even need to try. She was naturally beautiful, kind, strong, resourceful... everything Pamela wasn't. Maybe that was another one of the reasons she had been dressing like a model. _I'm just a desperate little girl who wants attention._

Pamela turned her head when she heard the Yellow Ranger yawn. "Morning." Her roommate said. "How long have you been up?"

"Long enough." Pamela replied. "You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to disturb you."

"Aww, thanks." Summer left her bed and put on her sneakers and Ranger jacket. Just in time for the alarm to go off.

"Duty calls." The blonde said. She and Pamela went down the stairs, where Dr. K was already waiting for them. Scott, Flynn, and Ziggy were with her.

"Rangers, I'm picking up a transmission from within the city that is designed to momentarily cause shield energy disruption. But there's another signal heading south by southwest through the sewer corridor." The doctor explained while Dillon joined the group. Pamela examined him for a moment; he looked as exhausted as she did.

"The sewer?" Flynn laughed. "Of course. What fun."

"No, well, the target must be the city central dam." Scott said. "If we cut across the aqueduct, we can beat it there."

"And I'll try and track the source of the energy disruption." Dr. K said.

Once Pamela buckled into her seat, she waited for Dillon to get in the car. She had grown accustomed to traveling with him, and he didn't seem to mind at all. Sometimes Ziggy joined them, but he usually preferred riding with Flynn. Pamela smiled when she saw the Black Ranger coming, but that smile vanished the moment she realized Summer was following him.

"Hey, sleep well?" The blonde asked Dillon, blocking his path.

"Like a baby." He responded, opening his car's door.

 _Liar_.

"Any dreams?" Summer insisted.

"You know, start a rock-'n'-roll band..." He started, getting into the car, and Summer walked away from him. "...tour the world."

Dillon caught Pamela looking at him, and lifted an eyebrow. "What?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, unable to hide the concern in her voice. "You can trust me, you know?"

"I know." Was all he said in return. Just two little words, but they had enough power to make Pamela's face burn.

 _But you don't know that I think about you all the time. You don't know that you're constantly in my dreams. Will I ever get the courage to tell you? Why is this so hard? Why do you have to make me feel like this? Ugh, fuck you, Dillon!_

"You okay?" He inquired. "Your face is red."

 _Shit_. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little hot." _You have no idea of the irony of that sentence_.

"Just a little? You're being humble." Dillon teased, and Pamela smacked him in the arm.

"You're an asshole!" She giggled. _Ugh, I'm acting like a school girl with a crush. Get a grip, Seaver_.

He smirked, proud of the reaction he had gotten out of her. Unfortunately, their sweet moment ended once they made it to the scene. The attack bot and a gang of grinders were already there waiting for them, and Pamela and Dillon morphed alongside their teammates.

"RPM, GET IN GEAR!"

Pamela never thought it'd be possible, but she had gotten a lot better at fighting. She was far from a perfect warrior though, and still considered the grinders to be a challenge. But thanks to Summer and Flynn's training, she was now able to kick some serious robotic ass.

Scott, Summer, and Flynn fought the attack bot together, while Pamela, Dillon, and Ziggy continued to take care of the grinders. Her friends' attacks didn't seem to be working, so Dr. K suggested that they make an offense maneuver: wishbone alpha. Flynn, thrilled with the idea, managed to damage the attack bot long enough to distract it, so they could all join their weapons together.

Pamela stood with the other Rangers, holding their weapon as Flynn activated the engine cell. "FIRE!"

The attack bot was down, but the battle was far from over. Venjix never missed an opportunity to turn its creations into giants.

They forced the Zenith Megazord, which allowed them to fight together. It was amazing how all six of them managed to fit in the cockpit. Pamela tried to focus on the target, but a sudden discomfort in her stomach. _Oh, please tell me it's not the vodka_.

"Hey guys..." She said, her voice barely a whisper. "I think I'm going to throw up..."

"Ugh?"

"What?"

"Are you serious?"

"Right now?"

"What the hell, Pam?"

Her teammates were all yelling and reprimanding her at the same time, making her feel like a child.

"Ranger Series Pink, please try to hold your vomit until the attack bot is defeated." Dr. K ordered, and Pamela could hear the disappointment in her tone.

"Okay." Pamela whispered, and the RPM Rangers turned their attention back to the mission.

"WHEEL BLASTER! "ENGINE CELLS ACTIVATE! FIRE!"

They shot the attack bot, hitting it with all the power their zords possessed. The thing exploded, vanishing before their eyes.

"You should go see Dr. K now, Pamela." Scott said after they were out of the Megazord. "You can't fight if you're sick."

"It's no big deal." She promised. The last thing she wanted was to back down from another fight. "I can do this."

"Okay." The Red Ranger nodded. "I appreciate your commitment."

"Rangers, there's another attack bot in the city." Dr. K informed.

"We're on it!" Scott said, and they all ran together to find the threat.

Summer and Flynn kicked the attack bot at the same time, but it managed to push them away. Scott, Dillon, and Ziggy kept trying to grab the robot's hands, but it was too strong and kept resisting.

Pamela spotted a big rock, and decided to use the telekinetic powers of her suit. The rock did little damage to the attack bot, but it was enough to distract it, so Scott, Summer, and Flynn could jump it at the same time.

"Let's call the Nitro Swords!" Scott ordered.

With all six of them holding their swords, they went after the attack bot. The Rangers hit it everywhere, hoping to damage it.

"Rangers, I've pinpointed the source of the transmission that is disrupting the shield." Dr. K informed. "Are you done with that attack bot and ready to deploy?"

"In a minute." Summer said.

The Rangers combined their weapons: Scott's Street Saber, Summer's Zip Charger, Flynn's Turbo Cannon, Dillon's Rocket Blaster, Ziggy's Turbo Axe, and Pamela's Glowing Staff.

"RPM ENFORCER!" Ziggy declared. "ENGINE CELL ACTIVATE!"

Holding the massive weapon together, the team sent a powerful blast that destroyed the attack bot.

Pamela watched the robot explode, and demorphed. "Well..." She said, mostly to herself. "...I guess now I can finally do this." She threw up on the floor, careful not to get any vomit on her hair or clothes.

"Oh, that's disgusting!" Ziggy cried. "Did you have something bad to eat?"

"Yeah." She lied, meeting Summer's gaze. The Yellow Ranger nodded, and Pamela was grateful that she didn't rat her out. Having to admit to everyone that they had been drinking last night would have been humiliating. They were supposed to be sober at all times, but Pamela was positive that somehow Dr. K would know the truth.

Dillon put a hand on her shoulder. "You feel better now?"

"I'm okay, don't worry." She muttered.

"You should go see Dr. K after the mission is complete." Scott suggested. "I know you want to stay and fight, but you're obviously sick."

"But Dr. K isn't really a medical doctor, is she?" Flynn reminded him.

"Ranger Series Blue, I am perfectly capable of taking care of Ranger Series Pink's health." Dr. K said.

"I forgot that she's always listening." Flynn said, covering his face with his hands. "Sorry, doc."

"Back to the mission, guys." Scott stressed. "Doc, we're on our way to find that pulse signal."

The group ran towards their vehicles

"Rangers, I'm detecting another breach at the docks." Dr. K said.

 _Shit. Another attack bot?_

"Doc, we are not gonna be able to keep this up." Scott speculated.

"You guys do your best with the alarms." Dillon said. "Pamela, Ziggy, and I will go after that signal."

The three of them got into the car; Pamela sat next to Dillon, and Ziggy accommodated himself on the backseat.

"200 meters dead ahead, Ranger Series Black." Dr. K informed. "It will be looking for a high vantage point to broadcast – trees, electric towers."

When they got out of the car, Ziggy pointed at one of the tall buildings. "Rooftops, there."

The attack bot was running around the roof, waiting for them.

"You cover the back." Dillon told Ziggy. "Pamela and I will flush him to you."

 _Shit. He wants me to go with him?_

"Right." The Green Ranger responded. "Got it."

Pamela was about to question Dillon on his decision, but there was no time. The Pink Ranger and the Black Ranger made it to where the attack bot was, and Pamela winced in disgust at the ugly thing. _They're all ugly, Pamela. Get over it._

"Hope you've enjoyed this broadcast, 'cause you're off the air!" Dillon threatened, going after it.

"And I thought I was dramatic." Pamela teased, following him.

They beat up the attack bot together, hoping to stop him as soon as possible. But things became tense when the thing and Dillon seemed to recognize each other.

"Familiar." The attack bot said.

"Holy shit." Pamela cursed. "You can talk?"

"You!" Dillon exclaimed.

"Ah, yes." The robot recalled, raising its arms. "Subject D44. I still have your memories."

 _Oh, my God..._

The created proceeded to show a hologram that showed Dillon and a girl in hospital gowns. Pamela couldn't see the girl's face, but she had black hair and was holding a white cane. _Blind, perhaps?_ She could hear screams of pain, but couldn't distinguish what exactly was happening.

The Pink Ranger was brought back to reality when the attack bot threw Dillon across the roof, and the boy's body hit against the metal bars.

Pamela ran towards him, and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Dillon insisted, getting up in a flash. He morphed immediately, and Pamela bit her lip. She was worried that he would do something reckless in order to get his memories back. She knew how much he wanted to remember who he was; always listening to the tune in his pocket watch to try to trigger something about his past.

Pamela couldn't let him fight by himself, so she morphed and joined the fight. The attack bot was about to blast Dillon, but she put herself in front of him to protect him.

"Ugh!" She ended up on the floor, numbed by the attack.

"Pamela!" Dillon shouted. He was about to reach out for her, when the attack bot spoke.

"Subject D44, your modifications are incomplete, but we can fix that."

"Don't call him that." Pamela mumbled. It was hard for her to speak in her current situation. Her arms and legs were throbbing in pain, making her feel useless. _Come on. DO SOMETHING!_ Fortunately for her, Ziggy appeared just in time to help her get up.

"You alright?" The Green Ranger wondered.

There was no point to lie. "No."

"I'll fix you!" Dillon pointed at the robot with his Nitro Blaster.

"Blast me, and you blast your memories." The attack bot said, making the Black Ranger hesitate. The thing began blasting at the sky, causing some sort of electrical storm that made Dillon fall from the roof.

 _If I wasn't feeling so weak, I could use my telekinetic powers._

"Hold my hand." Ziggy ordered, and Pamela did as he asked. There was no time to question her friend's idea, because Dillon was in danger. _Dillon is in danger._ Panic took over Pamela, to the point where she didn't notice Ziggy had already morphed, and they were both jumping off the building.

The Pink Ranger and the Green Ranger grabbed Dillon, and the three of them embraced each other.

 _This is going to be a nasty fall..._

At last, Ziggy was able to teleport them to the floor. They let go of each other, and took a deep breath.

"Not sure how you did that." Dillon said.

"I know." Ziggy agreed. "Me neither."

"Does that thing really have your memories?" Pamela asked.

Dillon nodded. "It does."

"We still need to destroy it." She lamented. "We don't have a cho-"

"Yes, we do." He cut her off, running away. "I'm going after it!"

 _What a stubborn asshole._ "We should go after him."

"Yeah, totally." Ziggy agreed. "He clearly needs our help."

Thanks to Dr. K, they managed to find the antenna-themed attack bot easily. Scott, Summer, and Flynn were attempting to fight it, but Dillon had gotten in their way.

"Dillon!" Scott protested, facing him. "Have you lost it?"

"Hey, what's going on?" Summer asked.

"You can't!" Dillon insisted. "That thing has my memories!"

"Did I miss something?" Flynn wondered.

The Sat Bot took advantage of the confusion to made its escape, frustrating Dr. K. "Ranger Series Black, you cannot allow personal agendas and emotion to interfere with the protection of this city."

"Could you at least try to have a bit of compassion?" Pamela snapped. "This is really hard for him."

"Ranger Series Pink, there's no time for compassion at this particular time."

Pamela rolled her eyes. She couldn't deny that Dr. K was right, but the way she had spoken to Dillon was utterly insensitive. She remembered the time she had felt jealous of Dillon's lack of memories, thinking that living in ignorance would somehow be better than remembering her despairs every single day. _I was wrong. Memories are important, and I'm lucky to have them. I wish Dillon could have his too. But the city and its people are in danger right now..._

"Please." Dillon pleaded to Scott. "They're all I have."

Summer approached the Black Ranger. "All right, Dillon." She then looked at their leader. "Scott?"

The Red Ranger seemed torn for a moment. "We have no choice." He turned around to look at the Green Ranger. "Get him, Ziggy."

"Right." The boy said, teleporting to stop the Sat Bot. He hit it with his Turbo Axe, and the robot fell on its feet.

"NO!" Dillon ran after the attack bot, hoping to stop the fight. Pamela and the others had no choice than to go after him.

The Sat Bot didn't hesitate to use its powers to electrocute them all at once, and the six Rangers fell to the floor in agony.

"Dillon, you are the only one who can destroy the Sat Bot." Dr. K told the Black Ranger.

"I can't!"

"You can't let your emotions get in the way! We need you!"

"They're my memories!"

"Then I'll have to shut you down."

Dillon stood up, struggling to get to the attack bot. "Unfortunately, doc, I don't shut down so easily."

Pamela watched him from the ground, admiring how strong he was. _I wish I could be like that._ Dillon demanded his memories back, but the thing wasn't listening. The Black Ranger kept on attacking the Sat Bot with his Nitro Sword, while the Pink Ranger and her teammates got back on their feet and joined him in the battlefield.

"Come on. Let's put this thing out of my misery."

 _Wait... what made him change his mind?_

But there was no time to ask him that. The Rangers combined their weapons to form the RPM Enforcer.

"You won't do it." The Sat Bot said. "You said it yourself. These old memories are all you have."

"I have something else." Dillon said, now with confidence in his voice. "New ones."

Summer, Scott, Flynn, and Ziggy chuckled. Pamela blushed and was flattered by his sentiment, but remained silent.

Dillon activated the engine cell, and their weapon fired against the attack bot.

"You'll never know the truth!" Were the Sat Bot's last words.

"We'll see about that." Dillon retorted.

The Rangers demorphed, and went back to their vehicles. Pamela avoided looking at Dillon, while Ziggy kept ranting about their crazy day.

"I seriously thought we were going to die back there!"

"It's a good thing you managed to use your powers just in time." Pamela complimented. "Unlike me."

"Don't sell yourself too short! You helped too!"

Pamela scoffed in disbelief. "If you say so."

Nothing else was said for the rest of the ride. Once they were back at the garage, Dr. K proceeded to rant tests on Dillon. Pamela considered accompanying him, but when Summer had offered to join him, she was taken aback by the Black Ranger's enthusiastic response. _Well... he clearly doesn't care about whether or not I'm there. Figures._

Pamela locked herself in her room, and took off everything but her underwear. Her body was sore from the fight, and there were some fresh bruises in her upper arms and legs. She cringed at the sight of her own body, cursing Venjix and his creations for doing this to her.

She thought of Dillon and Summer, and how the signs had always been there. The way they had looked at each other when they first met, the way Dillon stood up to her when her parents were smothering her, how Summer always seemed to be worried and asking him how he was doing.

 _It makes sense, though._ Summer didn't even have to try to look pretty. She was good at everything: fighting, driving, taking cares of others. If Pamela hadn't been interested in Dillon, Summer would be the person she'd be fawning over.

The funniest thing was that she didn't hate her. She still considered her a friend. But she still felt stupid, for being so worried about her non-existent love life when the world was in danger.

Her musings ended when the girl of the hour entered the room. "Shit, I'm sorry. I had no idea you were changing."

"It's fine." Pamela said dismissively. "I was going to sleep, anyway."

Summer looked paler than usual, which surprised Pamela.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's Dillon." Summer whimpered. "He has a virus that will eventually take over him. Dr. K says there's no cure."

Pamela's jaw dropped, and her body went numb with cold. Everything, including her mind, went black.

* * *

She just passed out, don't worry...

 _Next time: Secrets revealed, confessions, frustrations..._


End file.
